


In Cold Blood

by Myoui_MiSlay



Category: TWICE (Band)
Genre: Doctor/Assassin AU, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-25
Updated: 2018-12-19
Packaged: 2019-08-29 03:07:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 23
Words: 26,434
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16735932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Myoui_MiSlay/pseuds/Myoui_MiSlay
Summary: Avengence is a funny thing. You can't love like you wish, you can't kill like you please. Especially when you fall for your target."I knew what you are after I fell for you, but I love you regardless." Maybe that was her mistake, a fatal mistake."Maybe I don't love you, not when I know that I will kill you from the start." A lie, was all that it was, and will be.This is set in an alternate universe, where the characters are mostly doctors or hitmen. Read as you please, if you're uncomfortable with a girl x girl pairing, I suggest you don't read this. You have been warned.Also available on AFF





	1. Chapter 1: The Start of the Nightmare

“Myoui Pharmaceutical just made their major breakthrough in the medical industry by becoming the highest grossing pharmacy…” As the newscaster announces, a party broke out in the headquarters of Myoui Pharmaceutical. Champagne bottles popped and a crowd of employees cheered along as Myoui Akito, founder of Myoui Pharmaceutical, went up the make-shift stage to give the employees a speech. A gentle smile tugged along his wife’s face, as she was proud of what he has come to achieve after all the years of struggle and hard work they have been through. As Myoui Sakiko nods to him, he started his speech. He thanked the employees for being with him throughout the journey, and shared this joy and achievement with everyone. Last but not least, with his tears-filled eyes, he looked in the direction of his supportive wife and child, choking out a final ‘Thank you’ before bowing and leaving the stage. The night went on with everyone enjoying themselves, finally taking a breather after working so hard over the past few years. Amongst the crowd was Chou Yi, who was also celebrating with Akito at his side.

Chou Yi was one of the employees. He worked under Myoui Pharmaceutical from the start, having a great ambition of his to set up a hospital himself. In order to do so, he has been learning diligently under Akito’s teachings. They were friends since high school, and they were really close, as if they were brothers. Or at least, that was what Akito thought when he took Chou Yi under his wings. With the huge success Myoui Pharmaceutical has achieved, Chou Yi is starting to get jealous of what his buddy has achieved in a span of 3 years. Something ignited in him, or to say, a demonic thought grew in him. He decided to set Akito up.

 

The business of Myoui Pharmaceutical just began to soar, with the bright future for the Myouis in sight. However, happiness is short-lived, as their sales hit rock bottom just after 6 months of their major success. News, or rather, rumours started spreading like wildfire on the internet regarding their health supplements containing cancer-causing substances, and many of the drugs supplied to major hospitals are made up of illegal chemicals that could potentially cause stroke to its users. Many hospitals ceased all deals with Myoui Pharmaceutical, and their consumers flooded in demanding for refunds. Malicious comments can be seen everywhere on the web, on the front page of their official website, and even on Akito’s phone with countless insults. However, Akito tried his best not to let these comments get into him. Even at times like this, Sakiko, being the supportive wife, stayed by his side. And of course, his little sunshine, Mina, was the reason why he kept his smile at such tough times like this. When Chou heard of this news, he smirked to himself, while sending half-hearted consolations to Akito.

 

After a few weeks of the rumours, Mina’s birthday is around the corner on the 24th of March. She has always been celebrating with her parents, but she wanted to have a special celebration this time with Chou. Therefore, she started pestering her father with requests when she realised that the special occasion is approaching.

“Daddy, my birthday is coming soon next Saturday. Can we celebrate with Uncle Chou?” She asked, with her teddy eyes staring at her father. Even though Akito is faced with the threat of bankruptcy, he didn’t want to disappoint her. After all, she was the bundle of joy, the one who gave him motivation to carry on. Therefore, he agreed to her request and started preparing a huge celebration ahead in time.

“Hey Chou! Wanna come for my daughter’s 8th birthday party? She insisted that her favourite Uncle Chou should come.” Akito asked Chou. He went to Chou’s residence the day after, inviting him to Mina’s birthday celebration. As he asked, he thought of how elated her daughter was when they finally allowed her to have a birthday party. Despite their continual fall in sales and their bleak future, the Myouis still put Mina’s happiness first.

“Oh sure, I would love to!” Chou replied with a wide grin which Akito was so familiar with that he would bring it with him to his death. Literally.

On the day of Mina’s birthday, Chou came with a gigantic Penguin doll that resembles the little Mina. Akito looked at Mina, as she blew the candles on the cake with a huge smile on her round face, and making a wish as she closed her eyes really tightly. He was really pleased with himself. The preparations that he had gotten ready over the past few nights have paid off. Unknowingly, a smile tugged at his lips as he thought of how overjoyed she is during the celebration.

Mina spent that night with euphoria, or most of it, before going to bed. Chou told Akito and Sakiko that he has something that he would like to share with them. So, he took the couple to the roof for ‘some fresh air’, as he claims it to be. Little did the Myouis know, that Chou had a special agent hired to get rid of them permanently. 

“Hey, on such a happy occasion like this, I hope that you will always stay happy.” Chou said with a can of beer in his left hand, as he gazed longingly at the night skies. The Myouis smiled with him, as they looked up too. Chou paused for a while, before continuing.

“I’m really sorry for whatever happened to Myoui Pharmaceutical, and I just wanted to tell you something…” as Chou’s words rang in the Myouis eardrums, he turned to the confused Myouis with a sadistic grin plastered on his face. He led the Myouis closer to the edge of the building. Taking a breath, he boomed. 

“YOUR TIME HAS COME.”

A sudden force hit the Myouis from behind. Before they knew it, they were falling off the building, too surprised to react. Instead, they stared back at Chou, shocked, as they fall into their point of no return. The sickening smirk is still present on Chou’s face as he watched his brother and his brother’s wife fall into the never-ending darkness, with a shadow behind him whispering “Mission accomplished.” He then fled the scene immediately. 

“Mission Accomplished.”

Chou repeated the sentence, as he enjoyed the sense of relief washing over him. He let out a deafening laugh before throwing away the name card he got from the agent that he just hired three days ago. He was stunned however, as he found Mina by the door after walking towards the stairs, with terror evident in her innocent eyes. He quickly calmed himself down though, as he could not risk a child ruining his entire plot of wealth and fame.

“Oh, Mina, come here, Uncle Chou will bring you back into your room. It’s late now, and you got to sleep.” Chou said as gently as he could while taking big strides towards Mina, who stood rooted to the ground, staring fearfully at her favourite Uncle.


	2. Chapter 2: Crocodile Tears

Chou Yi took Mina back into her room, and got her to sleep with a little help of hypnotics. He saw Mina less of a threat. After all, who would believe in what an 8 year-old has to say? Chou Yi convinced Mina that what she saw last night was just part of her dreams, and that her parents were just busy with work. However, luck wasn’t on Chou’s side as the news of the Myouis dying was played on the television the next day. Taken aback, Chou Yi quickly let out a gasp, faking shock and worry as he quickly dialled the hotline of the local news, demanding proof of his friends’ deaths. 

Not long after, the police came knocking on the Myouis’ apartment’s door. Both Chou Yi and Mina was brought in for investigation, but whatever Mina said was voided due to her young age, and that her statements were opposite of whatever Chou Yi told the police. Chou Yi sobbed and ‘tried to hide his tears’ during his session with the police, telling how Akito had been really depressed, and was suspected to be suffering from depression. However, Sakiko was just adding salt to the wound by adding stress; pushing all the responsibilities of feeding the whole family for Akito to shoulder alone. His crocodile tears and lies were bought in by the police, when they concluded the case to be a suicide. 

The whole incident ended with Chou Yi holding a press conference for the Opening of AceAid Medical Centre, promising to strive for the best, and fight for his lost brother, Myoui Akito. 

Being the helpless 8 year-old, Mina ran out of the conference venue, terrified and traumatised. She ran as far as her short legs could take her. Finally stopping by the side of the road, she broke into desperate tears. The sun shone exceptionally bright at Mina, as if to mock her for her inability to avenge her late parents. After an excruciating ten minutes, a teenage girl stopped next to her. She held her hand out, and asked in a warm tone. 

“Do you need help?” 

Mina nodded and took the stranger’s hand, and they walked to what seems like the stranger’s house. Even though Mina remembered her mother telling her about to following strangers, she ignored the advice, thinking that it would not hurt her.

After a while, Mina reached what seemed to the house of the stranger. She was awed at the stranger’s house, comparing her house to the castles she had always seen in fairy tales. While giggling at Mina’s cute reaction, she led Mina to her room and gave her a cup of warm cocoa, prompting Mina to tell her what happened. Being an innocent kid, Mina opened up immediately towards her.

“Jihyo-ah, daddy’s home!” a voice echoed through the large mansion, and Jihyo immediately ran out of the room towards her father’s embrace. She excitedly told her dad how she was helping this little kid she saw by the side of the road and had brought the kid home. Surprised at what Jihyo did, her dad immediately screamed at her daughter “How can you just bring anyone, more so, a kid home?! Do you know how dangerous this is?!” His face was clearly flushed red with anger. Instead of apologising, Jihyo immediately retorted back. “So what?! It is not as dangerous as you bringing those poor kids to your so-called training centre and trains them to be just as heartless as you! No wonder mom left you!”

Her words shook in her father’s ears. Jihyo’s dad lost his temper, and gave her a tight slap right across her cheeks. However, he instantly regretted his actions; Jihyo was everything that he had, after his beloved wife left him for good. Jihyo turned around; ready to leave his dad and go back into her room, but his dad grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her closer. His hands felt gentle against Jihyo’s burning skin, and muttered a little apology. Being a teenager, she did not accept his apology. She yanked off his father’s hand, and ran back into her room. 

Mina was startled by the loud quarrel, and came down the stairs, wanting to take a peek on what was going on. She saw the stranger running past her into her room, tears welling up in the stranger’s eyes, while a manly figure stood in the distance. That reminded of her dad, when she used to have arguments with her very own father. She felt depressed, knowing that her father would never return to her again. She missed his father’s tender arms, and her mother’s tender smile. While reminiscing, a lone tear escaped her eyes. 

Jihyo’s father turned around and wanted to make up for his daughter and walked towards the staircase, when he spotted Mina. He signalled her to come over, and that he had something to say to her. Mina once again listened to another stranger and walked towards him.

“Hey little kid, what is your name?” He asked.

Mina said out her full name.

“Hmm… Mina…” The man replied. “I am Jihyo’s father. Do you want to stay for dinner??”

Just when his words left his mouth, he heard Mina’s stomach growling, as Mina rubbed her belly. She must have been hungry, and have not been eating anything. As foreign as she is, he could not just let a kid go starving. He decided to bring her to the dining room for some food.

As Jihyo’s father brought Mina to the dining room, she was awed for the second time. Never before have had she seen such a majestic room. A vase of roses sat on the middle of the long table, with cutlery nicely placed on every seat. The whole table gave an elegant feel. It was as if the castle in Beauty and the Beast, her favourite fairy tale, has come into life. Her eyes widened, as she muttered a ‘Wow’. Jihyo’s father ordered a maid to bring Mina a plate of scrambled eggs with ketchup. When the plate of food was brought to her table, she chowed down so fast, that the plate was empty in five minutes. As Jihyo’s father was inspecting her, he noticed this aura around her that makes her very special. Without further hesitation, Jihyo’s father announced, “I shall take care of you, and in return, you will work for me.”   
Mina was slightly confused, but with the limited choices Mina is faced with, she definitely very much prefer this ahjusshi than the psycho that killed her parents. So, she immediately looked at Park daddy and nodded, with her face fully smeared with ketchup.


	3. Chapter 3: Reconciliation

Jihyo was sitting on her bed in the room, still angry over what happened between her and her dad. It was too far for him to hit her like that, especially since she just took in a child. How bad would it be? She looked around her room, which was painted pink. A few metres away from her is her pastel blue wardrobe decorated with white polka dots and a plain wooden study table with a table lamp and a stack of papers on it. She stared at a portrait hanging on the wall, depicting a family photo of her and her parents. She looked longingly at her mother’s face, and her serene expression. How she wished she was there to console her, to ensure her that everything was alright. 

No, that could not happen, she thought to herself. Her mother left her half a decade ago, leaving her with her father due to a fight. She recalled that fateful day, when her parents were quarrelling over something, and her mother left the house in anger. After that only did her father realise that a car was driving towards her mother, and called her to not leave. However, it was to no avail, as the inevitable happened. She quickly tried to forget about the matter, but the gory image afterwards kept haunting her for years. 

Suddenly, someone knocked on the door. She told him to come in, and realised that it was her father.

“I’m sorry for what have happened.” Jihyo’s father said. “Would you forgive me for what have happened?”

She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she has forgotten about the event just now. She smiled at her father, and telling him that it was alright. 

“I feel bored now. Do you mind taking a walk with me?” Jihyo asked.

Jihyo’s father quickly agreed. Soon, the father and daughter are taking a stroll in their huge backyard. In the middle of the park was a marble fountain, sculpted to perfection. On its four sides are benches, with raspberry bushes on the edge. There are also cherry trees blooming in the distance, with the faint smell of ripe mangoes. Jihyo took a whiff of the smell, and felt relaxed. 

“It is late now. Are you feeling hungry?” Jihyo’s father asked nicely. “If you want your favourite tomato pasta, I can cook personally for you. I could use the tomatoes that I have just plucked and the parsley plants that I have just-“

“It’s okay dad, I’m fine. You don’t have to do that!” Jihyo said, with a teasing grin on her face. “Besides, I just wanted to have a talk with you, like to catch up with things.”

“About Mina, what are you going to do to her?” She asked, feeling concerned. 

It was incredible that Jihyo quickly grew fond of her. However, it was not surprising, considering that Mina is really cute and innocent, and is really loveable. Jihyo felt really pitiful of Mina and her plight, and decided that she would protect her with all she can. After all, her parents were set up by an evil guy. How could he do that!

 

“Don’t worry, Jihyo-ah. I would take care of her, and train her with you so you could guide her too.” Jihyo’s father replied. 

However, Jihyo was really concerned, and that the other children in the institution that she is in might bully Mina. However, Jihyo’s father reassured her that he would overlook the matter and make sure that Mina would not be hurt. Jihyo was highly doubtful that he would help at all, but she guessed only time would tell. 

“Then when would she start training?” Jihyo asked.

“Tomorrow, of course! When else would it be?” Jihyo’s father quickly replied.

“Huh?! But..” Jihyo exclaimed, “.. What if she is too weak to even start training? She is an 8 year-old after all!”

 

“Don’t worry, Jihyo-ah.” He reassured Jihyo. “I am very sure she will be all right. Now get to sleep, tomorrow will be a big day.”

As he said that, he brought Jihyo out of the backyard, into the mansion, back to her room. He switched off the lights of the room. 

“Good night.” He smiled with a delighted grin.


	4. Chapter 4: Path filled with Thorns

Park Jin Young, a name truly feared by the underground community, is the founder of Prism, an infamous agency known to produce the best hitmen, spies, and assassins, anything you need to clean up a stain or mess; however you like to call it. They never took sides, for they only work for whoever pays them a higher incentive. Though deadly, his agents are all orphans; abandoned or left behind by their parents, by the society.

Mina has just been enrolled into ‘the school’, or ‘training institution for special kids’, as how Mr Park Jin Young likes to call it. As Mina walked down the hallway into the training hall, she felt really anxious, as if there were butterflies in her stomach. However, Jihyo was right next to her, calming her down and telling jokes along the way. It made Mina relaxed. Before the two girls know it, they have reached the training hall.

“Attention!” Mr Park boomed.

The students promptly stopped whatever they were doing and turned towards Mr Park, with their ears perked. “We have a new student that will be joining us today, Myoui Mina!” With that the nervous little Mina that was fidgeting with the hem of her shirt quickly turned towards the crowd and gave a small bow. The crowd awed at how adorable the newcomer is, but this was never new, as they do get newcomers every now and then. “Please give her a warm welcome, and treat her kindly. You guys might be fighting side by side with one another, who knows?” With a slight chuckle, Mr Park concluded the speech.

Mina was a little different from the other kids there. She was quiet and shy, and that many people would have thought of her as a weak and easy target to pick on during training sessions. However, Jihyo would always jump in front of her to protect her, for Jihyo and Mina are great buddies. Jihyo taught her almost everything from the start, so that Mina wouldn’t suffer from the cruel nature of the industry she will be stepping into. Much to Jihyo’s surprise, Mina learnt faster than she initially imagined, immediately climbing the ranks in the institution within months. Before Jihyo and the students knew it, she is one of the best agents in the institution. She became one of the top martial artiste and the best strategists out in the country. Mina was Jihyo’s first recruit, and she turned out to be a genius and Jihyo earned the respect of her father.

Throughout her years at the agency, Mina learnt that friendship and camaraderie is nothing but a luxury. There were only a few that she truly trusted with her life. One of whom is Sana, her batch mate as well as a member of The Trinity. She is the IT genius, and the hacker of the group. Rumours had it that there is no network that she hasn’t managed to infiltrate. However, she is mediocre in terms of close combat and shooting, and is not typically sent out with Mina and Momo to the mission site.

Mina is also close friends with Momo, who is also a member of the Trinity. She became an agent a year ahead of both Sana and Mina. No one has ever won her in sniping and shooting. Well, we could say that she is a marksman with eagle eyes; she wouldn’t miss anything within 100m with a pistol. Momo is normally paired up with Mina in assassination missions, as they form a formidable duo, while Sana supports them behind her trusty laptop, infiltrating into surveillance cameras and providing enemy intel.

Lastly, there is Jihyo. She was her mentor, her saviour, a sister she didn’t had. Jihyo can be overly protective at times, but that’s because she cares for Mina a lot. Mina and Jihyo have grown to be great sisters throughout the years, with inseparable bonds. Whenever Mina needs advice or is feeling down, she always look for Jihyo for tactics or just a person to confide her feelings or problems in.

Her first mission was assigned to her when she was 16: a simple kill and run mission on an old millionaire, whose children have been eyeing over his massive inheritance. That was also her first time meeting up with her teammates, Sana and Momo, both abandoned by their parents. The trio worked on countless missions together since, from assassinations to faking suicides. They have lost count of the number of successes they brought to Prism, for they never failed, not even once. They have always done a perfect job, leaving no trace behind to be tracked. They also became close friends and were known to everyone in the institution as the elite trio with great teamwork and chemistry, and always did their missions with perfection and precision.

It’s been 15 years since the Myoui Pharmaceutical Incident, and with the fall of Myoui Pharmaceutical, came the rise of AceAid Medical Centre. These 15 years have not been easy for Mina for she trained tirelessly every day. She sworn to avenge her parents and hunt Chou Yi down, even if she needs to cross the universe to get to this power-greedy maniac. In the eyes of the others, Mina might just seem like the genius that mastered the art of killing in a span of 8 years, but little did they know just how much damage Mina had done to her body throughout these years. 

Throughout her years of being an agent, she also self-studied to become a surgeon, for she needs to infiltrate AceAid Medical Centre to get to Chou Yi, who hasn’t been subtle with his huge success in the medical industry, becoming the top hospital in South Korea. Of course Chou Yi would succeed, for he stole all the data and formulae from Myoui Pharmaceutical during his time there, watching its fall, making it easier for him to buy it over.

The faithful day finally came when Park Jin Young finally announced Mina’s latest mission, one that was proposed by Mina herself: to infiltrate AceAid Medical Centre and take down the hospital along with Chou Yi. 

“Mina, Momo, Sana, I have a special mission for you.” Mr Park started with an unreadable expression, leaning off from his dark brown desk, he strides confidently towards Mina with a file in his hand. With a light thud, he pushed the file towards Mina’s chest and continued “Your infiltration into AceAid Medical Centre starts tomorrow.” He then beams with his most confident smile towards the trio, with a wide-eyed Mina staring back at him, as if she could see through his soul.


	5. Chapter 5: Dr. Chou Tzuyu

Chou Tzuyu was known as the perfect girl. During her university life in her school, Yonsei University, College of Medicine, she has always been treated like the little princess she is. Everyone falls for her, staring at her appearance everywhere she goes. By everyone, I mean all boys and girls, and everyone in between. Not only are her looks otherworldly, she also has a pretty brain too; acing all her exams and becoming the top among her peers. 

“Oh my god, look at her! She is so beautiful!” A guy exclaimed as he stared at Tzuyu, who just walked past him, her hair scent filling her surroundings with the calming scent of lavender.

“I know right! She is just perfect.” His friend beside him replied, with eyes gazing at Tzuyu’s body. “Not only does her appearance seem perfect, her grades are too! How does she ace all her subjects with flying colours?”

As Tzuyu walked by, she realised that the two men were not the only ones gossiping over her. Everyone was looking at her, aweing over her godly visuals. She smiled to herself, feeling confident of her looks and her studies. After all, it is not the first time this has happened to her.

This year will be her last year in the university, and that means she has to spend her last semester interning under a hospital to experience emergency situations and learn to handle patients from the experts. Being the heir of AceAid, of course she would have to intern under her father. Not only that, her dad gets a little too protective of his only daughter, and wanted to ensure that nothing happens to his lovely daughter. By keeping Tzuyu close, Chou Yi can ensure her safety 24/7. Who knows whether anyone would plan on hurting his only sweetheart? Like he did 15 years back. 

“Dad, I will be starting my internship 3 days from now,” As Tzuyu spoke into the phone, the passing fangirls squealed in excitement. “I will to be under the best in your hospital.” Being the top girl, of course she has to demand for the best. 

“Alright Dr. Chou, we’ll be having a new doctor joining us tomorrow, and she is known to be the best when she was working with Doctors Without Borders, I can arrange you under that new doc.” Chou Yi chuckled, trying to sound as joyful as possible while speaking to his little angel. Tzuyu can be demanding at times, but as a father, Chou Yi always wanted to give her the best. He would even buy her the moon if she wants it. 

 

Meanwhile~

“What?! Are you not going to use an alias? Do you know how dangerous that can be?!!” Jihyo bellowed right through Mina’s ears. 

As Mina slowly released her hands from her ears, she replied calmly, “Well, that is to instill fear, and I can always act like I lost that part of my memory.” Picking up the fake ID that Sana made for her and clipping it to the white doctor coat that she was wearing, “And I did suffer from PTSD the first year I came.”

Momo winked and hand-gunned Mina while clicking her tongue, “That’s legit! I like your plan.”

Jihyo can’t help but roll her eyes, then tossing a small pocket knife to Mina. “For protection.”

“Come on, I’m not the best close combat agent for no reason!” Mina sorta whined. “I can even put Momo on the floor before she can pull out her gun.” 

Momo cocked a brow, feeling slightly challenged, she immediately shot back. “Oh yea, is that a challenge?” Mina shrugged and replied nonchalantly, “Wanna try?”

Jihyo, being the oldest, immediately stepped in before a war broke out in the middle of the night, moreover in The Trinity’s dorm. This is not the first time this has ever happened in the trinity’s dorm, though. Whereas, Sana was just sitting on the sofa, waiting for the drama to happen. And god, she even has a box of popcorn in her hands! Looking eagerly at their direction, the three stared back at her. “What?” Sana replied while slightly frowning, the three can’t help but face palm at her ethics. 

Ah well, what a regular day in the dorm, except that they have to get ready on their new mission. Mina looked at her old penguin doll on her bunk, and smirked at herself. Better watch out, Chou bastard, she thought.


	6. Chapter 6: Dr. Myoui Mina

“Alrighty Pengu, I’ve done everything that’s necessary; from faking your qualifications and achievements to making into you the best doc they can have!” Sana exclaimed excitedly while stretching her arms outwards. As Sana spun her chair around to look at Mina, her glasses slightly slid down her pointy nose, she sees Mina double-checking her back pack. Mina stayed up all night to revise all the doctor stuff she needed to know, as Momo referred them to be.

“You know you don’t have to be so tense?” Momo came into Sana’s room with a bag of chips, as she continued. “Okay, maybe a little, but we trust you. You’re smart! There’s a reason why you are appointed to infiltrate the hospital as a doctor. If it was me, I would have to be a janitor or something.” Momo said while wrinkling her nose together. That made Mina relaxed a little. Momo and Sana definitely have a thing in stress relief.

As Mina was getting ready to leave their dorm, Jihyo came out from the kitchen with a lunch box in her hand. She wiped off the sweat on her face as she stood at the entrance to the kitchen. She looked as motherly as before, with her hair tied up in a bun, and an apron around her waist.

“Looking smart today, Dr Myoui?” Jihyo said in a teasing tone as she casually picked up the fake ID on her front pocket that Sana made for her. Passing (more like shoving) the lunch box to Mina, she said, “In case, you know, who tries to poison you.” The Trinity laughed a little before finally sending Mina off in her Matte Black Audi R8. 

“Drive safely!” Jihyo shouted as Momo and Sana waved Mina goodbye.

 

Upon reaching AceAid Medical Centre, one can be awed by the glass skyscraper and how many people are going in and out of the hospital. The Medical Centre stood out among the nearby buildings, like a beacon in an area. Mina couldn’t help but stare in disbelief as she drove her car into the basement carpark. After successfully parking her Audi, she took one last look into the mirror and adjusted her clothing before taking her back pack and leaving for the Director’s Office. 

*Knock knock* 

“Please enter.” Chou Yi said behind the door. Mina turned the door knob, taking in a deep breath; she entered the office with as much pride and courage she could muster.

“Good morning Sir, I’m Dr Myoui Mina, and I will be joining the AceAid medical team from today.” After finishing her sentence, she gave a proud smile to the shocked man from behind the large office table.

“Myoui… Mina..?” 

Chou Yi was agape in horror. Memories of the fateful incident 15 years ago reappeared in his mind.

“Mind… telling me a little about yourself?” He asked, his voice slightly shaking.

Mina told him about how she lost her parents when she was young, but had no memories of it, then to how a rich family adopted her and how she studied to become a doctor, then finally joining Doctors Beyond Borders. Of course, they were mostly false. Finally releasing the breath that Chou Yi had unknowingly been holding onto, he sighed in relief, before reaching out his hand. At least she did not remember the incident 15 years ago, He thought to himself.

“I have high anticipation to finally be working with you. Hope you would like it here!” Chou Yi said, while taking Mina’s hand into his. Meanwhile, Mina has been holding the urge to not flash out the pocket knife Jihyo gave her and stuck it right into his throat.

“Same here.” Mina kind of gritted through her teeth, while trying her 200% to smile a friendly and bright smile.

Mina was temporarily assigned to an overly enthusiastic nurse, who introduces herself as Dahyun. Honestly, Mina finds her a little too talkative and touchy for her liking. Dahyun will be showing her around the hospital, from the emergency rooms to every single patient room. Dahyun has been a really hospitable colleague, trying her best to help Mina get used to how the hospital works.

“Hey, wanna join my group of friends for lunch?” Dahyun beamed at Mina, which she awkwardly accepts. Taking the lunch box Jihyo made, she entered the cafeteria behind Dahyun and immediately saw a group of girls waving hysterically at her direction. Dahyun led Mina to the table. Upon sitting down, a bunny looking girl asked instantly, “Hey Dubu, who is this new friend of yours?”

“Hi, I’m Myoui Mina, I’m a cardiothoracic surgeon. It’s my first day here, nice to meet you all.” Mina replied while giving the group a small smile.

“Oh, I’m Nayeon, a nurse. I mainly work at the emergency department.” The bunny-looking girl introduced herself while smiling brightly, which exposed her bunny teeth. Cute, Mina admitted to herself.

“We’re the No-Jam Bros!” 2 bob cut girls introduced, “I’m Jeongyeon, a general surgeon.” the taller one said while lifting her chin. “I’m Chaeyoung, also a general surgeon.” the shorter one followed after, while she finger gunned at Mina. 

After the short intro, Mina took out her bento while the rest ate the food from the hospital’s cafeteria. Upon opening the bento, she was pleasantly surprised to see the amount of food in the lunch box. There was omelette, smoked salmon, grilled broccoli and carrots, and of course not to forget, plentiful of ketchup nicely trailed on the food. A little note was stuck on the cover of the lunch box saying “Don’t forget to share the food and make some friends!” Smiling slightly, Mina asked if they rest want to try some of her food her elder sister (mom) prepared for her.

“Waahhh!” a unified gasp was heard from the group. Everyone looked at Mina with sparkles in their eyes as they each took a little of her food. 

“Your sister sure has a thing in cooking!” Nayeon exclaimed, as she took a small portion of the grilled salmon using her chopsticks, and put it in her mouth. “The food is incredibly delicious! She could totally be a chef in our cafeteria!”

Mina could only chuckle at the girls, as they had their noisy conversations. Slightly amused at the friendly nature of this group of girls, Mina thought to herself: Maybe it is a lot easier than I thought to fit in here..?


	7. Chapter 7: First Day, First Impression

It’s a Thursday, her 14th day of work, and Mina is already overwhelmed by the amount of workload and how hectic life as a doctor is. It must be the Thursday blues, if there is such a thing. All that occupied Mina’s life up till now was her never-ending slots of surgery inspection rounds and the reading of files of the patients there. At least, today is finally the day when she will no longer be led by Dahyun, and she can take advantage of the opportunity to read up Chou Yi’s files from the hospital’s database. Or more like, give Sana access to the system so she can dig up some ‘dirt’. Perks of being a high-ranked doctor in the hospital, Mina thought.

As usual, Mina is driving her Audi and looking for a space in the parking lot in the hospital in the morning. When she finally found a slot in the distance after what felt like several minutes, she heaved a sigh of relief. It is a blessing for the employees who work there to find a vacant slot in such a short time. After all, AceAid is a huuuuge hospital, with hundreds, if not thousands of medical staff and patients.

“Finally…” Mina muttered to herself. But luck must be playing with her, as a Lightning Blue Lamborghini zoomed passed her car and immediately went for the empty spot. 

“F***, who the hell just did that!” 

Mina was about to get out of her car and cuss at whoever who was that ‘stole’ her slot, when she saw a tall, tanned lady walked out of the car, as if the carpark just became her runway. The girl even had the cheeks to turn to Mina who was having an expression that is a mix of anger and judgement and gave her a small salute with a wink.

Well, that’s it; Mina felt her blood boiling, like you can literally cook a sunny side up on her, except that Mina isn’t feeling sunny at all!

After Mina’s long adventure of looking for another parking slot, she finally arrived at the ER department. As Mina walked in, she huffed making the hair on her forehead to fly slightly. “Good Morning, Sunshine!” Dahyun screamed jumping in front of Mina. Mina narrowed her eyes at the girl and shot back: “Call me sunshine again, I’ll burn your pretty @ss off!”

“Ohhh… Fiesty Pengu reporting for work??” Nayeon teased, and Mina just slump her shoulders even more.

“Hey, don’t be so upset, it’s only the start of the day!” Jeongyeon said, and Chaeyoung passed a sandwich to Mina. “Here have a Peanut Butter and Jam sandwich!” 

Mina took it with an awkward smile and passed it to Nayeon at the side who is eyeing at the sandwich. “No thanks, I don’t fancy peanut butter.” Thanking Mina quickly, Nayeon immediately took a bite of the sandwich while the No-Jam bros just snickers creepily.

“Hey, I thought this was supposed to be a Peanut Butter and Jam sandwich? Why is there only peanut butter?” Nayeon said to the two with a frown.

“Well… That’s because,” Chaeyoung said while trying hard to hold in her laughter. “We’ve got No Jam!!” Jeongyeon continued while pointing a finger gun at Chaeng, which they later high fived at their ‘successful’ prank.

Nayeon rolled her eyes and immediately shouted back “Yah! Yoo Jeongyeon! Son Chaeyoung! Get back here you little sh!ts!” 

Seeing Nayeon chasing after them, Chaeyoung quickly stopped in her tracks, causing Nayeon to bump into her, with a lopsided grin she said “You know you love me”. That caused Nayeon to blush while looking down on the ground, but happiness was short-lived as Chaeng quickly continued announcing “Hey tomato, you should look at your face! Guys, Nayeon-unnie is blushing!!” Nayeon immediately shot up with fire in her eyes. With that, everyone else is saying a little prayer for the little cub… (You guys should too, 1 like 1 prayer…)

Chuckling at the moment, Mina’s anger soothed a little. 

“Oh yea, Mina, you will be taking some interns under you from today since you’re already a professional surgeon.” Dahyun stated, with a smile on her face. 

“What?! Why haven’t I heard that before?” Mina replied, slightly nervous that she will have to teach new interns when she herself isn’t particularly skilled. Note that she’s a killer, not a healer. Sh!t, I screwed up big time, Mina thought to herself. The only decent skills she had were just simple (not) bullet removing and wound stitching, since The Trinity has to learn these ‘basic’ survival skills for their missions.

“Don’t worry, you wouldn’t be doing it alone. Most of the time, there will only be 1 intern following you.” Dahyun replied, giving Mina a reassuring smile.

Even with Dahyun’s reassuring reply, Mina couldn’t help but worry. What if, she screwed up and her identity got exposed? No, she thought, as she shook of that depressing thought. I will definitely pull this off. I’m Myoui Mina, what can I not do? She thought again, this time with a smile on her face. 

 

“Hey dad, so who’s my supposed mentor?” Tzuyu asked nonchalantly while taking a rest on the couch in Chou Yi’s office, conveniently putting up both her legs onto the coffee table in front. 

“Come one, get up and stop lazing around. I bet the other interns have already reached and are waiting at the main lobby.” Chou Yi replied while picking up his grey blazer, motioning Tzuyu to follow him.

When they have reached the lobby, they see 4 other interns that have gathered. Chou Yi greeted the rest quickly, welcoming them to join the team and hoping to see them around. Chou Yi thereafter asked one of the staff at the reception counter to bring them to the Emergency Department to find their mentors.

On their way there, Tzuyu learnt that they were all from different schools. Amongst them are Kim Yongsun, Jung Eunbi, Cha Hakyeon and Im Siwan. They were also informed that they will be interning individually for the hospital believes in nurturing the best doctors for their patients, and this also better aids the interns in their learning process. 

The interns were brought around the hospital on a tour, such that they could memorise the map of the hospital. However, most of them already memorised it, as the competition for a job at AceAid is tough. In order to get to intern under such a prestigious hospital, they did all that they can. Well, except you know who, ‘cause her father literally owns the building. Lastly, they stopped by the entrance of the doctors’ office, and the moment has come: to meet their mentors.

“Guys, the interns are here!” Nayeon shouted from her desk while packing up the files of the interns, before passing them to the respective mentoring doctors. Jeongyeon (general surgeon) got Siwan, Chaeyoung (general surgeon) got Hakyeon, Sowon (psychologist) got Eunbi, Moonbyul (consultant doctor) got Yongsun, and Mina (cardiothoracic surgeon) got Tzuyu.

“Okay guys, read them up on your way and good luck!” Nayeon finishes off, sending the team of doctors and surgeons to pick up their interns.

“Great. Just great…” Mina muttered to herself before exiting the office.


	8. Chapter 8: Official First Meeting (Face-to-Face)

The doctors and surgeons came out of their office and were greeted by the interns with a 90 degrees bow except Tzuyu, as she only did a 45 degrees one. Eyeing the interns one by one, they introduced themselves and Nayeon paired them up soon after.

The look on Mina’s face was pure shock for she remembered her encounter with that Tzuyu intern at the carpark earlier this morning. Thinking that she has to take this arrogant girl as her intern totally turned her off, maybe except the fact that the girl is a tall, beautiful being. 

Mina was flipping through the folder she was given, and it says CHOU Tzuyu. Keyword: CHOU. ‘Jackpot!’ Mina thought to herself. At least now I’m getting somewhere.

When Mina got back from the hospital, she immediately gave the information she has of Tzuyu to both Momo and Sana, not forgetting to get Sana to dig everything up on the girl. The Trinity did know about Chou Yi having kids, but what made it even more convenient is that now, his only child (after confirmation), is interning under Mina. 

“Sana, about the search through their database, have you found anything useful?” Mina asked impatiently.

“Not really, they have quite a bit of information for me to scan, and that may take up days. Plus, now having to search up on this Tzuyu girl, you need to give me more time.” Sana replied while furiously typing on her keyboard. 

“Chill a little, we’ve got months to do this properly.” Momo said, smiling widely with her mouth full of jokbal. “Plus, there is this new place that sells amazing jokbal!”

She held out a jokbal at Mina, while stuffing more of her comfort food in her mouth. “Want some? They are incredibly delicious!”

Mina got only roll her eyes at Momo. “I want to finish this quick. I want to get this mission over and done with. And NO THANK YOU.” Mina stated matter-of-factly.

 

The past week went by with Mina bringing Tzuyu around with her for her rounds in the hospital to check up on the patients, for she herself needs some time to familiarise with all the staff and patients. Honestly, there wasn’t much interaction between the pair, for Mina has been hating on the egoistic green-haired girl since they first met.

“Dad, this is so boring. That Dr. Myoui only brought me for rounds, no surgery, no emergency, and no live-action! Plus I got a feeling she is deliberately ignoring me.” Tzuyu complained to her father. “She just makes everything so awkward for me, how am I supposed to learn anything from this? All I see is the other interns experiencing their first surgery with their mentors. Meanwhile, there’s me.” Tzuyu just kept rambling on to her father on how boring her internship has been so far.

 

“God! I don’t know what to do around her. It’s so awkward, and I just hope that she can shut up for once!” Mina shouted in exasperation, as Jihyo is listening to her back at her dorm. “All she wants is to perform surgery, see people suffer so she can learn something! What a heartless, arrogant person!” 

Maybe their hatred towards each other is mutual. Who cares anyways, Mina is going to kill her soon too… or not?

 

“Dr. Pengu!!” a kid screamed from across the hallway while running towards Mina. “You will be doing my surgery tomorrow right?” the kid asked with sparkles in his eyes while looking at Mina.   
SURGERY.

Tzuyu’s ears perked at that word. Maybe this is finally my chance to shine, with no more boring room checks! Tzuyu thought to herself. She could finally be free, and demonstrate her all-so-awesome medical abilities to the weird mentor of hers.

“Haha, yup. Do rest well today for tomorrow, because tomorrow will be a big day for you!” Mina said while ruffling the kid’s hair. The kid shot both Mina and Tzuyu a big grin before running back to his mother. The kids at these rooms all suffer from heart-related issues, and the kid earlier, finally found a suitable heart for his transplant. The hospital may be a solemn place, but it’s the hope of these children that kept the place bright and full of energy.

As usual, Mina and Tzuyu finished their day with solely room checks. 

“I will show you what I’ve got tomorrow! You better watch out for your position in the hospital.” Tzuyu warned Mina with a wicked smirk. 

“Alright, show me what you’ve got then.” Mina replied nonchalantly, without even sparing the younger a second glance.

 

The next day

 

“Alright, let’s get ready to give this child a new life!” Mina announced to her team of fellow surgeons and nurses. “And Tzuyu,” Mina looked over to the said girl, seeing excitement in her eyes, she continued. “Show me what you’ve got.” Replying with a nod, the operation started.

 

“You could’ve killed the child right there, on that cold table top, because of your complacency! Do you not know that the child has an allergy to that drug that you almost gave him?” Mina literally screamed in Tzuyu’s face. “You almost damaged his arteries, took way too long in the heart removal process, he could also have died due to the amount of blood he’s lost! A hospital is not your playground, and the patients here are not your experiment, better reflect or get out!” Mina snapped. Tzuyu was obviously holding back her tears. If it wasn’t for Mina’s fast reaction and zero hesitance in helping out Tzuyu with the rest of the surgery in time, the child might not see the sun anymore. 

Mina was undoubtedly harsh, but that was necessary. Maybe Tzuyu wasn’t as ready as she thought she was. Theory indeed is different compared to real-life experiences, and this incident put her back to her place, and Tzuyu will have to learn from the top, was well as learning a very important lesson on humility.


	9. Chapter 9: To Start Anew

The tall arrogant girl isn’t present today. Mina thought that it was strange that today was surprisingly peaceful; no complains, no foot shuffles. 

“Hey, Dr. Myoui, can we talk over lunch?” Tzuyu said, startling Mina. Tzuyu’s presence is rather low today.

“Oh… Sure.” Mina replies, trying hard to pretend that she wasn’t actually stunned by the taller girl’s sudden gesture of kindness.

“I’m sorry for being so arrogant from the first day, and trust me, I will start afresh and learn diligently under you.” Tzuyu managed to rush that out while squeezing her eyes shut. Little did she know that Mina was trying hard to supress her laughter when she was being all serious.

“Hey, it’s alright to make mistakes, plus you’re new so…” Mina said nonchalantly, trying her best to encourage the awkward intern doctor sitting opposite her.

As Mina looked up, she saw a bright and relieved smile spreading across Tzuyu’s face. Feeling embarrassed for being noticed by Tzuyu, Mina quickly looked down to her food. She must be afraid that the smile is so bright that it might burn her retinas, or more, melt that frozen heart of hers.

Their afternoons are as usual, filled with ward-checking rounds, and consultations with the patients.

 

“Sana, found anything yet?” Mina shot to the said girl the first thing she enters the apartment.

“Not really…” Sana replied rather lazily as she just woke up from her slumber. Sana has been tracking down Chou Yi’s actions while working hard on hacking and collecting information from the hospital’s database. There’s no doubt that Sana is sleep-deprived, and more importantly, stressed out.

“Anyways, from what I have heard, the hospital is celebrating their 15th anniversary next month. Maybe we can just end it with a clean snipe?” Momo said with her   
hands motioning the action of sniping. 

“Then what’s the point of my infiltration? Moreover, we will only get rid of him, not the whole of AceAid. This is our mission.” Mina reasoned. Momo could only pout at Mina’s reply.

“Girls, I really hate to break this to you, but HQ got another mission for us tomorrow night. And it’s urgent…” Sana suddenly shot up from her seat with her tablet in her hands, showing the other two the mail that she just received.

“Really? We’re in the middle of a mission already, can’t they send someone else?” Mina exasperated, clearly annoyed by the fact that they have only 24 hours to plan for the next mission, plus having to cook up an excuse to not report for work the next morning.

“What? You can’t handle it already?” Momo challenged while wriggling her brows at Mina. “You can leave the entire spotlight to me if you’re already tired, princess!” Momo continues teasing.

As Momo finished speaking, you can literally see veins popping up on Mina’s forehead as Momo finishes what she said. As usual, Sana already got her popcorn ready, making herself comfortable on her sofa.

The next day, Tzuyu went to sit down on a bench with her lunch at the cafeteria alongside her fellow intern mates. They got along well pretty quickly, considering the rivalry over a job as a medical worker in the company.

“So, your mentor isn’t here today?” Yongsun asked Tzuyu over lunch.

“Yea, heard that she got food poisoning last night.” Tzuyu sighed. Yongsun shot her a sympathetic look while patting her shoulders.

“Anyways, I’ve been to about 4 surgeries just in 2 weeks and it’s totally insane.” Hakyeon kind of bragged to the group of interns. 

“I was in one yesterday, the traffic incident one? On the news? I totally nailed it, together with Dr. Yoo.” Siwan said while smirking, clearly challenging Hakyeon on who did better.

Meanwhile, Tzuyu could only sigh. She’s only been to one over the whole internship, and she screwed up big time.

Ignoring the boys, Eunbi asked with concern. “How has it been for you and Dr. Myoui? I heard that you were screamed at…” 

“We’re fine, I guess… I mean like, she’s already forgiven me.” Tzuyu replied, and then turned towards Yongsun, trying to change the topic of discussion.

“I heard Dr. Moon is super charming. Have you already fallen for her?” Tzuyu shot a teasing smirk at Yongsun, causing the latter to blush at the comment. A unified ‘Ohh’ can be heard from the group. 

Despite having a rather enjoyable lunch with her fellow interns, Tzuyu can’t help but worry about a certain pengu who is ‘suffering’ from food poisoning, hoping that she would be alright.

Wait, why am I worried about that ice-cold penguin? Tzuyu thought to herself. I mean she’s death-finitely gorgeous but I still hate her… Right? Tzuyu quickly shook the thoughts off.

After lunch, she continued with the rounds that Mina and she usually do from the past few weeks, but she couldn’t help it but feel that today is particularly empty without her mentor. Why do the kids seemed less lively with only her checking up on them?


	10. Chapter 10: The Side Mission

“Okay kids, take note…” Sana started as she walked between the other 2 who have been mentally fighting each other for the past 10 minutes. “…this is our target, Kim Hyun Gyu, boss of the 36th Street Gang.”

“Isn’t it weird that nowadays underground gangsters have to hire us hitmen to kill their opponent for them?” Mina reasoned as she looked to the tablet that Sana showed them with the details of their new target.

“Maybe their guts shrank.” Momo commented indifferently, already thinking of ways to eliminate their target.

“So, Momo, you will have to go on ground this time since the location is underground, we can’t have you aiming at nothing from above ground.” Sana told the girls. 

And yes, the duo has again, started their mental war. Anyone would have thought that these two would not be compatible in the same team, but their results said otherwise.

Sana, being the mom of the Trinity, had to make sure that the 2 doesn’t start fighting before the mission starts. She can’t afford bringing her injured kids to work.

“Hey pengu, better remember to bring that pocket knife that your mommy Jihyo gave you on your first day of work~” Momo teased while quickly shooting Mina with her ‘merong’.

“Of course! You better remember your guns then, I don’t want a burden to drag me down during such an important and quick mission.” Mina immediately shot back at the jokbal girl.

“Hey, both of you, enough.” Sana warned the arguing duo, then continued, “Scorpion hired us for this, and they are known to be ruthless in their killing and stuff they do, so the both of you can go loose and be as merciless as you like when you are on the mission.” Upon hearing that, Momo and Mina cheered out loud. “YES!”

“But you kids better make sure not to leave any of your prints or blood behind.” Sana nagged at her overly excited teammates. Little did they know that 36th Street have long known the plans of Scorpion and has allied with Exodus, Prism’s long time enemy in the industry.

 

Upon reaching the venue where the Trinity will carry out their mission, Sana made sure Momo and Mina had everything ready and told them that they only have a maximum of 30 minutes to complete their mission before both the 36th Street members and the police arrive. Being overly excited, the two quickly waved Sana off, leaving her in Mina’s Audi with her laptop and rushed off to finish off their mission.

Killing off the 4 guards by the entrance of the 36th Street’s underground base was a piece of cake for the two that have been murdering for close to 10 years. They slashed the throats of the two guards by the door, watching the blood gush out from their arteries with a stoic expression, before shooting the other two that came rushing towards them upon hearing the screams of their comrades. With the silencers on their guns, they managed to not alarm their targets. They were walking down the dark walkway towards where the Head room is at, as informed by Sana through their earpiece. Despite their bodies filled with adrenaline, there weren’t any other guards to be found along their way and feeding the duo’s excitement. 

“Isn’t this a little too easy?” Mina questioned through the earpiece.

“Exactly, it’s no fun.” Momo agreed along before being attacked from behind which Mina manage to push Momo away from. Light reflections can be seen as a knife flash before their necks again. Staggering back, Momo quickly adjusted her stance, getting ready to shoot, but luck wasn’t on their side as the walkway to too dimly lit for Momo to catch a glimpse of their surprise attacker. 

“Hah! Scorpion hired you amateurs to eliminate the boss?” a mysterious voice challenged the two. 

“Do they really lack the money to actually hire some decent hitmen?” another can be heard while the two mysterious enemies snickered at Momo and Mina.

Anger shot up Momo’s head as she kept her gun in the holster before pulling out her pocket knife and dashed forward towards their unknown rivals. Mina did the same in order to cover for Momo’s impulsive move. After blindly slashing twice as the two mysterious girls stepped under a flickering light, their faces are finally revealed. They are Wendy and Seulgi from Exodus, their long-time rival. 

“Oh my god, what are they doing here?” Momo whispered.

Narrowing her eyes, Momo took another step forward, faking an attack as Mina pulled the trigger from behind. To their surprise, Seulgi managed to dodge the bullet and sent Momo to the ground, with her knee on Momo’s face. With that, Mina sent a kick at Seulgi which was blocked by the latter, before sending a left cross punch at Seulgi again. This time, she succeeded in hurting her enemy, but she made a huge mistake by neglecting Wendy, who then reacted by jabbing a knife in Mina’s left shoulder before pulling the bloodied knife out, ready to throw it at Mina. If it wasn’t for Momo getting up in time, Mina might have been unconscious by now. 

Momo swept Wendy off her feet, kicked Seulgi in the face to knock her out, “That’s for you kneeing my face!” thereafter dragging the injured Mina to the car. Sana quickly opened the door for the 2 and sped off before their enemy could catch up.

“Why aren’t we informed of Exodus?!” Momo quickly questioned Sana with a stern tone as she took a breather. Feeling a huge pang of guilt in her gut, Sana could only keep silent while she drove them back to their apartment as fast as she could. As Sana dashed through every traffic light she encountered, Momo applied constant pressure to Mina’s shoulder to prevent her from bleeding out in her own precious Audi.


	11. Chapter 11: Injured

With Mina’s arm over Momo’s shoulders, they quickly entered their apartment as Sana cleared their khakis leather couch and gently settling Mina onto the couch. Only at a moment like this will the two finally being nice and gentle to each other. Momo cut off the shirt Mina was wearing from above her injured shoulder, revealing her bloodied shoulder. All this time, Mina has been trying hard to resist screaming at the intense pain she was experiencing. As she pants hard for air, droplets of sweat can be seen rolling down her face as she squeezed her eyes shut.

Sana finally returned after a painful minute or two with the basic medical tools and drugs they always keep safely in their dorm. She quickly opened a small bottle of alcohol and emptied it on Mina’s injured shoulder, earning a painful groan from the latter. With Momo at the side sanitising the tools, Sana took some cotton buds to absorb the blood off of Mina’s shoulder. Sana then proceeded to stitch up the wound, as Momo injects a dose of Anesthesia into Mina’s front side of her elbow, and then waiting patiently by Mina’s side, clenching onto Mina’s left hand. Her hands never felt so cold before.

When Sana finished stitching up Mina’s shoulder and patching it up, both Sana and Momo exhaled a sigh of relief before slumping with their backs against the couch where Mina was lying unconscious on. Suddenly, a thunderous knock can be heard from their apartment door. Momo quickly jerked up and went for the door, revealing an impatient Jihyo. Stomping into the apartment, she immediately found her precious Penguin lying there with a certain Shiba next to her dozing off. 

Turning towards the peach with a bruise on her left cheek, Jihyo gave her a light pat on her shoulder and said “HQ didn’t know about 36th Street’s alliance with Exodus either, this time’s failure isn’t on you guys. Just wanted to make sure my kids aren’t dead yet.”

 

The next day, Mina was absent at the hospital either as Jihyo called in as her Unnie, telling them that Mina needs another day of medical leave as she has yet to recover. 

Her condition must be serious… Tzuyu thought to herself as she stares blankly at the report in her hands when she heard the news. Guess I will be alone again then. Sighing, Tzuyu stood up from her seat and went for her rounds again.

“I heard that the 36th Street gang was attacked.” Tzuyu heard a voice say from behind her. Shrugging away the uneasy feeling she has been feeling all day, she continued walking. Well, names of gangs and underground organisations in general hasn’t been foreign to her for her father has been warning her about them since young, and that she does realise that her father sometimes do business with them. Despite being aware of her father’s shady business, she chose to remain quiet and not to know about them in front of her dad.

 

Mina has been out cold all day until evening when Momo ordered some take out from that Jokbal restaurant that she has been talking about. Sana gently shook her up, afraid of hurting her shoulder. Mina slowly blinks away the tiredness as she sees a concerned Sana, telling her that she should at least eat something to regain energy. Slowly sitting up on the couch with Sana’s help, she hissed as she felt a sharp pain pierce through her left shoulder.

“Wakey wakey pengu, before I finish all the food.” Momo said while trying to stuff her mouth with more jokbal. Amused by the first few scenes unfolding before her eyes after waking up from her long slumber, Mina laughed a little.

Sana passed a cup of watermelon juice to Mina while looking at her with sympathy. Mina’s face is rather pale, and her lips are drained of blood. Mina tried to take the cup with her shaky hands but instead, Momo put a straw into the cup instead and said, “Injured pengu is weak; a straw will do the magic.” Despite the seemingly kind act, Mina squint her eyes at Momo, questioning the sincerity of Momo’s concern for her which sounded more like an insult to her. Sana chuckled a little while feeding the weak penguin her juice while Momo made a ridiculous face at them with the bruise still present on her face. Mina quickly took the chance and poked Momo’s injured cheek, earning a hiss and a killer’s glare from the peach.

“Okay okay, kids, eat up. Mina, you still have to report for work tomorrow, will you be fine?” Sana questioned, still holding onto the cup as Mina drinks from it. Looking up to the older girl, Mina gave her a nod and replied. “I need someone to drive me to work though.” And both Sana and Mina quickly looked towards the stuffed peach at the same time, as if on cue.

“Why me? Sana?” Momo squeaked.

“Can’t, need to gather my intel and write the report for our failed mission.” Sana replied, “Unless you would like to exchange with me?”

Shaking her head furiously, Momo agreed to accompany the penguin to work tomorrow.

 

Mina popped a painkiller before heading out for work the following day, with the reluctant peach. “The hospital has quite a few pretty girls, if that cheers you up.” 

Mina half whispered to Momo. And sure enough, Momo instantly lit up and pulled Mina to the car, which still smells a little like iron (blood). 

“Hey Tzuyoda!” Dahyun called out to the green-haired girl with the nickname that she had come up with due to the uncanny resemblance. “Dr. Myoui will be back today, so smile a little more.” Finishing off with a cheerful grin to the taller girl, Dahyun skipped off to her station and began working. Giving the overly-enthusiastic nurse a small smile, Tzuyu proceeded back to her table to get some caffeine into her system.

I wonder if she’s feeling better. Tzuyu thought to herself and shortly after, a rather pale Penguin waddles into the office with her signature sergeant walk.  
“Hey, doctor, you feeling better?” Tzuyu walk forward with concern written all over her face as she approaches her mentor. With a smile tugged at her face, Mina replied with a quick nod.

“I’ve missed your company.” Tzuyu muttered softly under her breath. Little did she know that Mina heard her voice, as clear as day.

“You said something?” 

“No, nothing. Let’s go for our rounds. The kids missed you dearly.” Tzuyu quickly replied, trying hard to hide her flushed ears and neck by dragging the poor penguin out of the office when Mina barely finished putting her things down.


	12. Chapter 12: Protect the Penguin, or Death

After dropping Mina by the entrance, Momo parked the car at the basement carpark before making her way into the hospital.

“Better look after her properly. If anything happens to my girl, I won’t spare your pathetic @ss!” Jihyo warned the peach through the phone. Despite not seeing the older girl’s face, Momo still felt a cold shiver down her spine and still see a vivid image of Jihyo clenching her fist in her face.

“Brrr…” Momo shivered in fear, recalling the phone call. “She’s such a protective mom.”

Mina had to ditch Momo because, work. And now, Momo is just wandering around the absolutely huge hospital that looked so much like a hotel, looking around for the pretty girls that Mina mentioned. Also, Momo also needed to look for the child of god, just so she can keep herself alive.

“Hey doc!” Momo randomly asked the doctor passing by. “Do you happen to know where Dr. Myoui Mina works?” 

The doctor was absolutely stunned by the charismatic girl in front of her, unable to close her mouth from awe, she nodded slowly in response. 

“Can you please take me there? Thank you.” Momo replied with a frown, confused by the reaction she’s getting from the doctor.

Leading the way, the doctor brought Momo to the children’s department where Mina usually does her rounds.

“She should be around the area.” The doctor said, still gaping at the attractive woman in front of her.

“Thank you, I will look around on my own from here.” Momo gave the doctor a polite nod before heading towards the corridor, the noisy corridor.

“Goodness… What’s all these horrible sound?” Momo complained to herself.

“Children.” A familiar voice is heard from behind her, and the peach was ready to throw whoever that was creeping behind her, until she turned around and realise it was Mina. She is wearing a rather stoic expression while eyeing at the peach.

Tzuyu walked up to Mina, enquiring about the girl that was facing them with a ninja-like pose. Upon seeing a certain green-haired girl, Momo could only let out a small “Wow.” 

“Oh, she must be your friend. Do you mind joining us for lunch later?” Tzuyu quickly invited the girl, but she only earned a glare from her mentor. Turning her heels quickly, Mina walked off to another ward, not before shooting Momo a don’t-come-near-me look. Shrugging her shoulders, Momo looked back at Tzuyu who offered a small apology as she rushes to catch up with her mentor.

Narrowing her eyes, Momo thought to herself satisfyingly with a slight chuckle: This hospital really have quite some beauties. I definitely need to get here again.

 

Lunchtime came by in a flash and Momo found herself at the hospital’s cafeteria. This must be heaven. Momo thought to herself, eyeing all the food available. After buying 1 of every food available, Momo turned to look for a seat when she saw a tall girl waving at her. She recognised the girl immediately, Mina’s intern. She walked towards the table and sees a girl hiding her face in her hands, embarrassed at her friend.

“Hello!” A unified greeting was heard from the group. Wow, more pretty girls. Momo thought and chose a seat next to Mina, whispering “Damn, your colleagues are hot.” That made Mina facepalm even more before opening her lunch box.

“Why don’t I have one?!” Momo asked, slightly offended by the lack of love from their supposedly shared mom, Jihyo. Mina stuck her tongue at the peach before   
proceeding to open her lunchbox, this time filled with beef, spinach and all sorts of iron-rich food.

Turning towards her food, Momo noticed the doctor that led her earlier, staring at her with her mouth hanging open.

“Is there something on my face?” Momo asked innocently.

“Beauty” was all she replied. Upon hearing that, Mina began coughing at the side, seemingly to have choked on her food when she heard the remark. Tzuyu on the other side, quickly patted Mina’s back while comforting and asking her to eat slowly politely.

“Hyung! What was that?!” Chaeyoung shot at the doctor with wide eyes.

“Whipped.” Nayeon casually remarked at the stunned doctor, as she finally realised what she just said.

With her hand touching both Jeongyeon’s forehead and her own, Dahyun commented “Fever, is it because of all the stress from your surgery earlier?”

Momo just stared at the said girl and replied with thanks. And she starts devouring her food; in a similar manner Jeongyeon has been doing all her life. “Soulmate, I tell you.” Jeongyeon said.

“Jeong, no.” Mina warned the older girl, which earned her a smack at the back of her head. “I will tell Jihyo unnie.” Mina said while rubbing the back her head and the look in Momo’s eyes quickly turned into fear.

Lunch was joyful, with all the polite company which Momo quickly got used to. Thereafter, Momo just sat at a close distance from Mina, just to keep her condition in check, and for her dear life too. It would be shameful to have her behind assaulted by momma Jihyo because of a minor mistake. 

After lunch, all of the doctors and nurses went back to work promptly, checking out the well-being of their patients and conducting surgeries. Ah, a normal day in the hospital.

Mina was sitting down on a bench, trying to digest all the iron while finishing some of the new reports. Just then, Tzuyu strolled leisurely, with a cup of coffee in her hand. Looking at her pondering mentor, a mischievous thought crossed her mind. She decided to give her mentor a good scare from the back.

“WHAT are you reading!?” Tzuyu kind of shouted while hitting Mina hard on her shoulder, her left shoulder. A sharp pain pierced through her shoulder as she leans her left shoulder forward on reflex. Mina winced in pain, squeezing her eyes as Tzuyu’s face immediately turned to one filled with concern as she apologised repeatedly at her mentor, with her face showing pure agony.

“I’m sorry, are you alright?” Tzuyu asked with genuine concern in her voice, but the immense pain made Mina unable to reply the younger girl as she bit her lower lip.   
Oh, how much does she want to strangle that ignorant adolescent!

Momo, who witnessed the scene, immediately ran towards the two, thinking that she will definitely be in deep trouble if Jihyo ever heard about it. 

“Sorry, lend me your mentor for a while.” Momo quickly said with anxiety, before dragging Mina away with her.


	13. Chapter 13: Exposed… Or Not?

“Lend me your mentor for a while.” With that said, Momo immediately dragged Mina from her spot, ignoring all the documents that slipped off the latter’s lap. After taking a right turn, the 2 girls entered the lift, descending to the basement.

Upon reaching the carpark, Momo shoved Mina into the backseat of her car and removed her shirt revealing the once again bloodied patch of cloth on her left shoulder. “Sh*t, I think your wound re-opened.”

“Yea thanks, Captain Obvious!” Mina hissed through her gritted teeth.

Promptly removing the gauze, Momo was going to reach for the drawers in front of the passenger seat when a knock is heard on the windows of the car. F***. Momo thought to herself, getting ready to eliminate whoever that just discovered their ‘secret’. Snapping her head towards the source of the sound, she was faced with a panicking intern who keeps pointing towards Mina’s shoulder which the latter fails at covering up in time. 

“Should I get rid of this Chou Tzuyu girl? She’s like a walking disaster…” Momo asked sarcastically.

“There are CCTVs around, idiot.” Mina deadpanned at her teammate. “Let’s just let her in.”

“Hey… Why are you here?” Momo asked awkwardly at the taller girl.

“Is Dr. Myoui okay? I see lots of blood… I’m so sorry.” Tzuyu said with her voice trembling, bowing repeatedly. Remorse could be seen all over her face, with her huge   
ears turning red.

“Come on in first.” Momo ordered, before climbing into the passenger seat in front. After settling the trembling girl down, Mina asked “Are you confident in your stitching skills?”

Giving a quick nod, Tzuyu replied “I will help you stitch that back.”

Momo then handed the intern the equipment from Mina’s car, switching on the lights and wait while Mina is being treated.

After finishing up, both Mina and Tzuyu are sweating; one due to the pain, while the other breaking in cold sweat. Without hesitating for a second, Mina pinned Tzuyu in the car, the mentor ‘warning’ (more like threatened) her intern not to tell anyone about any of these and just forget whatever that happened. Momo continued by giving the green-haired girl a death threat and shot the said girl an ice cold glare.

Maybe it’s the shock, or maybe it’s the fright, Tzuyu passed out in Mina’s car after hearing the two assassins’ threats.

“Look after this brat; I’m going back to my office before I get questioned about being MIA during work hours.” Mina said nonchalantly, before walking off with a confused Momo gaping at her. Momo wanted to refuse, but she has to keep an eye on this kid snoring away in the backseat of Mina’s precious Audi, and make sure that she doesn’t utter a word about what happened earlier.

 

After a good half an hour of ‘sleep’, Tzuyu woke up to a horrifying sight of Momo glaring at her. Tzuyu almost rolled off the seat, if not for Momo’s fast reaction at stopping that from happening. 

“You better not utter a word of what happened earlier, you hear me, kid? Or else…” Momo sneered at the said girl while running a thumb across her neck. Gulping   
down a lump in her throat Tzuyu replied “Y-Yes, ma’am!”

“Where’s Dr. Myoui and how is she now?” Tzuyu asked the murderous peach.

Snapping her head at her, Momo hissed “What did you just say?”

“Oh no, nothing! I was just wondering why am I here? I should be working and not slacking around during work hours.” Tzuyu managed to say that out without stuttering. Then she quickly opened the door of the car and scurried out, not without tripping over herself as she tries to escape the growling Momo.

 

Upon reaching the hallway of the cardiothoracic department, Tzuyu let out a sigh of relief.

“Hey, where have you been the past hour?” Nayeon asked from behind, making Tzuyu jump before turning to the talking girl.

“She had some business to settle in the toilet.” Mina replied for Tzuyu while walking towards the two girls. The sight of Mina walking to towards her sent a shiver down Tzuyu’s long spine.

“Oh… Do you need any medication? Diarrhoea? Digestive?” Nayeon enquired rather sincerely, making Mina burst into laughter.

“What? Just in case?” Nayeon said incredulously. 

Tzuyu somehow let her guard down when she sees Mina breaking into laughter. Damn, her laugh is so cute. Tzuyu thought to herself and a small blush starts creeping onto her cheeks. Suddenly she felt a hand on her forehead. “Are you seriously sick? Your forehead is rather warm and your cheeks are red.” Mina said with her right hand still on Tzuyu’s forehead.

“See! I told you she will need some meds!” Nayeon challenged the doctor.

Seeing this sight unfold, Tzuyu quickly snapped back to reality and told the bickering duo that she’s fine. The day ended rather quickly and now Tzuyu is now on her way home in her Lamborghini.

As she enters her room, Tzuyu slumps into her bed, missing its warm embrace. Meanwhile, her thought drift off somewhere, to a certain doctor who walks like a sergeant. 

Wow, her smile, her laugh, her shoulders… Before she could roam into the forbidden areas, she quickly snap back to when she was being pinned by the girl of her thoughts, giving her death threats. And that made Tzuyu shiver in fear. What is she? Why is she making me feel things…

Hoping off her bed, she quickly opened her laptop and typed Mina’s full name into the hospital browser. Reading her information and resume, something feels off... She set her mind to ask her dad about the girl later at night.

 

“Dad, isn’t my mentor a little too young to be this qualified? It’s a little like she’s over-qualified to just be regular doctor in our hospital.” Tzuyu asked her dad over dinner.

Upon hearing what his daughter said, Chou Yi almost choked on his food.

“Dad, you alright? You should eat slowly.” Tzuyu asked with concern.

Shaking his head, Chou Yi replied “You should keep your distance from that doctor, I don’t know much about her yet.” Lies “But I have been digging up some info about her. She does seem a little over-qualified for her age and position she’s currently holding in the hospital.”

Well, Chou Yi has actually hired agents on Mina’s back, spying her every move and Chou Yi would definitely not hesitated to go after the girl if anything ticks him off. There’s a saying that goes: Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.

Shrugging at Chou Yi’s words, Tzuyu continued “She’s actually a nice person, although she appears rather stone-cold, I like it when she smiles.” Chou Yi narrowed his eyes at his daughter’s statement.

“Seems like my princess is pleased with the mentor I’ve arranged.” Chou Yi half-teased, while the other half worries that Mina isn’t as simple as how she had presented herself to be.

 

“Sir, this is about Myoui Mina…” The person over the line started.


	14. Chapter 14: ‘Her’

Mina is sitting at the all-purpose table with her teammates having their supper late in the night. Sana pushed up her spectacles as she put a spoonful of rice and veggies into her mouth while surfing on her trusty laptop, while Momo gobbled down her plate of jokbal with kimchi that she went to take away from THE restaurant. 

Mina was taking a sip of watermelon juice when the phone ringed in her pocket.

“Argh! Who would call at this hour?” Mina grumbled as she fished out her phone from her pocket. It seemed that Jeongyeon is calling her. She accepted the call and put the phone near her ear.

“Hello?” Mina asked lazily.

“Hi Mina, I’m Jeongyeon! Is your gorgeous friend coming tomorrow?” Jeongyeon asked hopefully over the phone. Hearing that Mina spit the watermelon juice that was in her mouth all over Momo, who happens to sit opposite her. 

“Mina, you need better table manners, I’m telling Jihyo.” Momo complained with her mouth full. No, really, who is she to talk about table manners…

“Yea, she is.” Mina replies, while she is still trying to recover from her coughing fit.

“Great, I’ll see you tomorrow!” Jeongyeon replied enthusiastically before hanging up.

Mina sighed as she put her phone on the table. That friend of mine is going crazy, she thought as she continued to sip on her watermelon juice.

 

The next day…

 

“Hey Mina, tell your friend over there to meet me by the entrance later.” Jeongyeon whispered to Mina while the latter was doing her regular room checks. 

“Okay…” Mina replies reluctantly with a sigh.

Jeongyeon shot Momo a wink as she walks away. Meanwhile, Momo could only cock a brow from amusement.

Mina was leading the peach to the entrance lying to her that they should have lunch outside today, when suddenly a car drove in front of them.

“Hey Momo! Wanna hop into my Pink Lamborghini?” Jeongyeon shouted to the said girl excitedly while she continuously wiggles her brows. 

Tzuyu finally caught up to her mentor, wanting to join them for lunch when she sees her favourite lightning blue car got turned into something so… hideous.

“NOOO!!!” Tzuyu exasperated as she ran up to her once majestic baby and stopped in front of the car, sliding on her knees ever-so dramatically. “You said you won’t do anything to my baby!” 

Jeongyeon gave the yoda girl an awkward smile as she said “Mina told me that Momo’s favourite colour was pink… so… Don’t worry! I used the best paint and spent quite a bit to make it look this fabulous.” Giving the sobbing girl a thumb up.

“Woah! What a cool car!” Momo ran up to the Lamborghini and ran her hands from the roof to the hood of the car, before rushing into the car. 

“Let’s go for a ride!” Momo grinned at Jeongyeon. With that, Jeongyeon quickly drove the both of them off, leaving the sobbing green-haired girl still kneeling on the ground as she watches everything unfold before her eyes.

Disgusted at the sight, Mina could only sigh and walk up to her shaking intern on the floor, pulling her up on her feet. “Let’s go eat somewhere else then, wait for me here.” As Mina lets go of the girl, she immediately went back to kneeling on the ground.

Mina quickens her pace and drove her Audi to pick up Tzuyu by the entrance.

“Come on, I bring you to eat something nice.” Mina said towards the girl on the floor as she rolls down her window.

Shaking herself back to reality, Tzuyu got into Mina’s car as Mina starts driving them somewhere for lunch. While she was inside Mina’s car, this time, she picked up how Mina’s car smelt faintly of Jasmine and that it has a really neat interior. As she reaches to open the drawer in front of her, Mina spoke “Don’t touch anything.”

With that, Tzuyu quickly withdrew her hand and remembered when she first entered Mina’s car. Whew, what a scar she left in my mind. Tzuyu thought to herself as her eyes wandered around the car, and finally landed on the perfect side profile of her mentor. Her facial features are so soft yet unreal and perfect, oh how much Tzuyu wants to trace her fingers down that breath-taking face.

“You done staring? We’re here.” Mina’s voice brought Tzuyu back from her thoughts that have been consuming her inside since I-don’t-know-when.

They have arrived at a grill bar, where they serve premium Korean beef; both raw and cooked. 

“Let’s go.” Mina said as she reaches to grab Tzuyu’s wrist. Tzuyu was shocked at Mina’s expensive taste in food, and even more so by her action. And yet again,   
Tzuyu’s blushing like a girl experiencing her first love.

They ordered quite a lot considering the fact that only two of them are eating, two girls. And no doubt, it amounts to quite a lot when the bill came.

“Dr. Myoui, I think I should pay for this meal.” Tzuyu said nervously as she tries to fish for her wallet in her pocket.

“It’s okay, this is on me. And I actually make more money than you think, so I can afford to eat good food.” Mina reassured the younger girl as she winks at her before flashing Tzuyu her million-dollar gummy smile and her million-dollar credit card.

“You should smile more; you look extremely attractive like that.” That line accidently slipped out of Tzuyu’s mouth as they walk back to Mina’s car. Damn, I didn’t think I would say that out loud. Tzuyu thought to herself as her eyes widen and places her hand over her lips.

“Thanks, I’m flattered.” Mina replied nonetheless. A proud smile tugged at the right side of her lips, even though she tried to hide it.

The drive back wasn’t as awkward as Tzuyu expected, because food coma immediately kicked in and she’s knocked out within minutes. She definitely ate a lot, especially given her slim appearance.

“If only you knew…” Mina muttered at the girl, still deep in her slumber.


	15. Chapter 15: The Fall

“Jihyo! Come over quickly! Boss is in critical condition, I don’t think he can last that long!” Jackson shouted from the other side of the line. Jackson is Park Jin Young’s personal assistance, and he grew up training with Jihyo.

“What?! What on earth happened to my father?” Jihyo questioned demandingly, probably shocked from the sudden news. Her father has been healthy, still working out and checking on the institution every now and then. Just what happened…?

“Boss is attacked by a sniper when I was away to fetch the car, by the entrance of the institute.” Jackson said, trying hard to supress his quivering lips.

Finally grasping the situation, Jihyo quickly hopped onto her car and sped off to the hospital Jackson informed her over the phone. Must be Exodus’ doings. Jihyo thought and punched the horn of the car with her fist, releasing her anger at anything that’s around her.

 

Beep… Beep… Beep… The machine keeps making the annoying sound as Jihyo stepped into the hospital ward. Park Jin Young suffered a shot through his chest, barely missing his heart, and the doctor has already informed Jackson and Jihyo that he wouldn’t last long and that there’s nothing that can be done. Rushing towards her father’s side, Jihyo kneeled in front of her dad, with tears sparkling in her round eyes.

“J-Jihyo ya… I w-will put Prism t-to your care now. Remember that daddy a-always t-trusted you and love you…” The critically injured boss barely made out these words as tears roll down Jihyo’s cheeks uncontrollably.

Beeeeeep… 

Jihyo could only stand there staring at her father’s lifeless body. She clenched her fists and bit on her lower lips, so hard that it drew blood. Jackson could only place his hand on Jihyo’s shoulders, pulling her into a hug, giving her as much comfort as that could bring.  
I will avenge you, dad. She thought angrily.

 

Park Jin Young is officially announced dead, the whole association was notified and every agent wore all black for the following week, in memorial of their late boss.  
Being the strong woman she is, Jihyo quickly recovered and continued with all the work her father left her. Every part of the office reminded her of her father, she could literally still see her father’s shadow lingering around the house, just that he’s no longer there for her; not now, not anymore.

 

“Found something!” Sana shouted from across the room. “Chou Yi suffers from Paranoid Schizophrenia since 5 years back, which is around the same time AceAid Medical hit it big worldwide. And he has been under some sort of medication.” Sana excitedly said to both Mina and Momo who are bickering on the couch on what should they watch, cartoon or Animal Planet. Upon hearing this, Mina snapped her neck towards the talking girl so quickly, she might have suffered a whiplash.

“Show me!” Mina jumped to Sana’s side, looking into the computer screen.

“You can use this information against him.” Sana casually informed the girl engrossed in the presented information as she stretches her back after the long hours she spent in front of the computer. Meanwhile, Momo started watching her cartoon on the television.

 

“Sir, we have updates on Myoui Mina.” A guy in black said sternly to Chou Yi in his room.

“Hey, Miss Son, may I know where’s my dad?” Tzuyu asked one of the maids cleaning up the dining table after dinner.

“Master is probably in his room.” The maid replied with a polite bow as Tzuyu started making her way to her dad’s room.

“Y-You’re saying that Myoui Mina is a trained hitman?!” Chou Yi questioned the man in black rather loudly, being unable to contain his shock, he continued, “And you just found out about it?”

Chou Yi is absolutely unsatisfied with the lack of efficiency from Exodus, starting to doubt his alliance with them. Little did he know that Tzuyu overheard the conversation behind his door, utterly stunned at the sudden information.

“She works under Prism, so it’s hard for us to track her down. We only got this intel because some of our girls have some bad blood with Myoui and her gang.” the guy in black informed indifferently, not without giving Chou Yi a dirty glare and a smirk. “She’s probably after you, your daughter, and most importantly, your business.”

“I want you all to get rid of her, but do not alert anyone when you guys are doing it. I don’t want cops after me.” Chou Yi warned.

“We’re more professional than that. We will craft out a plan and have your approval (nope, it doesn’t work that way) before executing our plans.” The man in black replied as he rolls his eyes.

Shocked, Tzuyu immediately ran back to her room. The sound behind the door wasn’t unheard as Chou Yi promptly went to open the door to check if his conversation with the member of Exodus was eavesdropped. Fortunately for Tzuyu, her actions were quick and she managed to get back to her room before being caught by her father. Or rather, the devil she calls father.

Thump, thump… Thump, thump…

Tzuyu’s heart beating hard against her chest as she felt like her world is being turned upside down. Being surrounded by sugar coated lies, not only by her father, also by her mentor. Why is she being so concerned though? Mina is nothing but a colleague, but that’s not what her heart has been telling her the past few days. 

“Maybe I should just ask her tomorrow…” Tzuyu muttered to herself. “But if she’s really a hitman, she wouldn’t break that to me, and all that adds up to why she got such a deep cut on her shoulder.” Tzuyu reasoned. Unknown to her, tears escaped her eyes and started rolling down her pink cheeks.

She cried, all night, to sleep. Tzuyu’s not weak, just that she blames herself for believing in all the lies that were fed to her. She knew about her father’s shady businesses, she knew when her father warned her about Mina, yet she still chose to trust. Maybe she is to blame for making herself vulnerable; what more, falling in love with one whom all along planned to kill her.


	16. Chapter 16: The Turn

“The attack is confirmed to be carried out on your hospital’s 15th anniversary; it gives you a perfect alibi.” The voice over the line said, before hanging up almost immediately.

 

Tzuyu reported to work with swollen eyes, which made her put on a pair of sunglasses as she reports for work. Walking into the office, she was immediately greeted by the sight of Nayeon trying to give Chaeyoung a birthday kiss.

“Mmph. Hey Chewy, mind getting this woman off of me?” Chaeyoung greeted as she struggles to keep her distance with the older. Meanwhile, Jeongyeon was snapping pictures at the side giggling.

“Morning.” Mina walked in to the office, seeing Tzuyu standing by the entrance, she patted the taller girl and pulled her to her table. “We’ve got an emergency operation later, focus.” Mina half whispered as Tzuyu nodded her head slowly.

Tzuyu doesn’t know how to feel, despite knowing that her mentor is a hitman, she still can’t help but feels butterflies in her stomach whenever the girl speaks or touches her.

“Hey take off those shades you’re wearing, it’s not even that bright in here.” Jeongyeon said as she reaches for Tzuyu’s sunglasses.

“No, don’t touch me, you ostrich.” Tzuyu said as she slaps Jeongyeon’s hand away.

“Ohhhh… But they are really not allowed during work.” Nayeon reasoned.

Tzuyu has no choice but to remove them, revealing her puffy eyes from all the crying the night before.

“You alright?” Mina asked with concern, yet Tzuyu could only reply with a cold. “Yes.”

“You broke up with your first love last night?” Hakyeon took the chance to tease the girl early in the morning, earning a pair of shades flying straight into his face.

“Throwing shades early in the morning eh?” Hakyeon continued to tease, rubbing his nose, where he took the impact. 

Rolling her eyes, Tzuyu took her files and left to do her rounds and a little revision for the operation that Mina just informed her about. 

Sitting herself down on the bench at the garden on the roof of the hospital, Tzuyu took a sip of her coffee, looking up into the sky. The sky was painted with magnolia white clouds, the sun taking peeps occasionally through the layers of the clouds; birds chirping merrily on the trees. Taking in a deep breath of the fresh air, Tzuyu calmed herself down for the operation that’s taking place in half an hour’s time. She’s down her revision this time, read everything through and practically memorised the patient’s file.

 

The operation was a success, but Tzuyu wasn’t being herself. She is still dull, gloomy, and forever lost in her thoughts, though she managed to keep her focus throughout the operation. Mina jogged up behind her and asked her if she’s feeling tired or hungry, Mina even offered to bring her for dinner and drive her home. We all know that her car is still servicing after Jeongyeon ruined it. 

“Maybe we need to talk…” Tzuyu said, as Mina led the younger to her car. With a nod, Mina motioned Tzuyu to get in the car.

This time, they didn’t go to a fancy restaurant, rather, they ate something light at a small tent shop by the streets and Mina drove the both of them to an isolated corner of the Han River and parked her car by the river. The two girls climbed onto the hood of her car and proceeded to lie against the glass.

Putting their hands under their heads, they gazed into the sky, this time, littered by the bright and tiny stars and a crescent; listening to the soothing sounds from the moving waters, cars passing by and occasional sounds of people talking as they walk to and fro. 

“You said you wanted to talk?” Mina broke the silence first.

Humming as a response, Tzuyu turned to face Mina. Her eyes tracing the soft edges of Mina’s face; from her forehead, pointy nose to that sharp jawline of hers, how she wished that time would stop at this moment. This moment when nothing seem to matter, this moment when the world seems to stopped all its movements, this moment when Tzuyu falls deeper for Myoui Mina. 

Giving Tzuyu a soft smile, Mina cupped the younger girls face with one hand. “You seem to like my face a lot.” Mina said that so softly, it’s practically a whisper.   
A blush crept onto Tzuyu’s face, thank goodness the surroundings were dark, if not Mina would have seen how red her face has turned.

“Can we just stay like this forever?” Tzuyu asked. Chuckling softly at the younger girl’s innocence, Mina replied “Sadly, I don’t think so.” Before pulling her hand away from Tzuyu’s face. Tzuyu could only let out an inaudible whine at the sudden lack of warmth on her cheek.

“You seem really out of it today, is there something wrong?” Mina concerned.

“Dr. Myoui, how do you feel about being kept in the dark by the ones you love and concern?” Tzuyu tried her best to sound as unsuspecting as possible.  
Quirking a brow, Mina looked into Tzuyu’s eyes and said, “I don’t know, I don’t really have any loved ones around me anymore. My parents left me a long time ago.   
And you can call me Mina when we’re out, drop the formalities.” 

Tzuyu gave Mina a sad look and mutter a soft ‘sorry’ under her breath. Seeing the younger girl depressed somehow made Mina want to comfort her and tell her that everything will be fine, even if it means to lie. Mina has never felt this way before, not for anyone, other than her teammates. Rubbing away the tears that had unknowingly escaped Tzuyu’s eyes with her thumb, Mina told her that everything is going to be alright, and that she will be there for Tzuyu, always.

 

Mina drove Tzuyu home later that night.

 

Why did I even tell her that? Mina said as she buries her face into her hands when she reached back to The Trinity’s apartment. As Mina proceeded to slump into her bed, she heard her rhythmic heartbeat against her chest. It’s been a long time since she felt her heart beating and warmed by someone… Throwing those thoughts aside, Mina decides to take a shower after the long day.

 

“Didn’t I warn you to stay away from Myoui Mina?!” Chou Yi thundered through the doorway as soon as Tzuyu stepped into the house.

“How should I stay away from her when you arranged her as my mentor in the first place?” Tzuyu replied, astonished by the degree of anger in her father’s voice. 

“Plus, she’s definitely not as dangerous as you!”

With that said, Chou Yi shouted hysterically at Tzuyu. “SHE WILL KILL US!”

Stunned, Tzuyu could only stare wide-eyed at her father, who then continued. “I killed her parents and she will take her revenge by killing us!” 

“If it’s not for some stupid contract law that the government made, I would’ve fired her.” Chou Yi muttered under his breath as he started breathing hard. It is a sign, he needs his meds and Tzuyu immediately ran to take them for him.

Tzuyu managed to get her father to sleep, despite his continuous grumbling about getting killed by Mina. He fell asleep quickly after taking his meds.


	17. Chapter 17: Couples

“Okay, so the hospital’s 15th anniversary is held in the hospital?” Sana questioned Mina as the latter walks out of the shower in her penguin onesie, getting ready for bed.

“Yup.” After her reply, Sana immediately gets down to planning their route of attack. But wait, they need to know the structure of the hospital in order to do so.

“The next few days, we will have to visit you at the hospital to get a better layout of the place.” Sana said, and a certain peach lit up at the thought of being able to meet her no jam Dr. Yoo. 

“Sure, sure, we can start tomorrow!” Momo suggested enthusiastically. “There certainly are many pretty girls there.” Momo whispered into Sana’s ears, but this doesn’t go unheard by Mina.

“Your gay is showing.” Mina informed nonchalantly before saying her goodnights to her unnies.

 

Just like the day before, Tzuyu still seems distracted. 

“What have you been thinking about? Your father?” Mina asked gently, attempting to confirm her guess about what Tzuyu said to her yesterday. “How would you feel if you’re kept in the dark by the ones you love and concern?”

“Yea” Tzuyu replied mindlessly.

Giving the younger girl a pat on her shoulder, they continued their rounds and consultations.

 

I thought Sana and Momo will be coming today? Mina thought to herself as their lunch break approaches.

“Pengu!!!” Speaking of the devil, the two arrived and gave Mina a crashing hug, sending all three of them onto the floor. The kids and nurses on the hallway started laughing and giggling at the three still on the floor, with Mina right at the bottom.

“Argh! You guys are heavy!” Mina struggled to say.

“So tell me, which is your Dr. Yoo?” Sana questioned the peach who blushed at the mention of her special one.

“She told me she will be meeting me at the canteen. Let’s go, the food here is delicious!” Upon saying that, Momo dragged both Sana and Mina towards the elevator.  
The trio (excluding Mina) skipped merrily into the canteen, eyeing around at the food and of course, the said pretty girls.

“Ouch!” Sana accidentally bumped into someone holding a tray of her food. There goes the clumsy Sana, knocking both the person and her food down.

“Oh my, I’m so sorry.” Sana frantically said as she helped the girl by rubbing her bum up from the ground.

“It’s okay, but my tofu stew…” She said while patting off the dirt from her skirt. When their eyes met, Sana was stunned by her visuals.

“Wow,” Sana exclaimed. 

Nobody’s exaggerating to say that Sana’s eyes lit up upon seeing the face of the fallen girl. Her skin smooth and fair like tofu, and the extremely cute pout she made when crying over her spilled stew.

“Don’t worry, I’ll buy you another one!” Sana immediately offered, earning a sudden cheer from the tofu girl. She began to smile widely, which also made Sana smile like a fool.

“Satang! Me too!” Momo said from behind as Mina already has her hand on her forehead, another one has fallen into the depths we call love.

 

After a round of food ordering, the trio and Dahyun came with many trays of food then settled at a large table.

“Erm, I’m sorry about just now, I’m Sana by the way.” Sana smiled sheepishly with a hand rubbing the back of her neck and the other offering for a hand shake.

“No, it’s alright, really.” Dahyun replied as she reaches for Sana’s hand. “I’m Dahyun, a nurse working with Dr. Myoui.”

Hmm… what a cute name, Sana thought, Almost like a goddess’ name. 

“Umm… are you okay? You look… stunned.” Dahyun pointed out at Sana, who is still staring at her, slack-jawed with wonder. She quickly composed herself, knowing that she is making her crush uncomfortable.

“Sor-sorry for that,” Sana quickly replied, seemingly nervous that Dahyun may have a bad impression of her. “Let’s start eating, I’m already starving.” 

Meanwhile, Mina and Tzuyu are sitting opposite the couple with a bowl of popcorn, as if they are anticipating something huge to happen.

“Come on, what is going to happen now?” Tzuyu said, excited to know what Dahyun is going to do next. Unknowingly, Mina is leaning against Tzuyu’s shoulder.

“Hey, stop it!” Dahyun retorted. “Just look at you! You aren’t any better!”

Tzuyu noticed the weight on her shoulder, and turned to see who it was. Mina smiled sheepishly and retracted her arm. Tzuyu blushed, which followed up with a loud ‘Oooh’ from the table.

“How can you all start all these without us?” the rest of the gang arrived at the table with Jeongyeon saying that. 

But really, I would have been blinded by all the lovey dovey acts if I was there. Momo immediately latched herself onto her beloved Dr. Yoo and Nayeon hasn’t really been leaving the poor No-Jam dongsaeng alone either.

 

“Let’s get back to business.” Sana reminded as the rest of the medical personnel left for their afternoon shift, leaving Momo and Sana alone.

The duo walked around the hospital, getting themselves familiarised with the layout of the hospital, and not forgetting to find blind spots around the CCTVs for what they do cannot be known by the world. The both may seem nonchalant and mischievous, but one does not simply underestimate their abilities. With Sana’s photographic memory, it only took them less than a week to have every single corner of the hospital down in their database.

 

“You’ve only got 1 week left, tell me the plan is complete!” Chou Yi’s voice thundered through the mansion. 

“Don’t worry, we’ve already got it all planned out.” The voice over the phone replied.

“And, it would be even neater than what we’ve done to the Myouis.”

 

Little did Chou Yi know, Tzuyu just got home and overheard the entire conversation.

Why is father doing this again?

A lone tear escaped her eyes as she helplessly ran into her bedroom. She slid down to the floor as she brings her shaky hands to cover her tear-stained face.


	18. Chapter 18: Date Night?

Tzuyu didn’t report to work the following day and this made Dr. Pengu nervous somehow. Mina continued her rounds as usual, but she felt the lack of warmth regardless. She must have been so used to the green-haired girl’s constant questions and rude ethics that now she is feeling uncomfortable without them.

“Dr. Pengu, where is Dr. Yoda?” a boy ran up to the said doctor and asked with innocent eyes.

“I guess she isn’t feeling well today because she didn’t listen to me and take her medicine. So, have you taken yours?” Mina asked back gently.

Smiling sheepishly, the boy walked back to his attending nurse, Dahyun. Giving Mina a thumb’s up, Dahyun proceeded to feed the boy his meds.

“Be brave and finish them like a man!” Nodding to Dr. Pengu’s advice, the boy squeezed his eyes shut and gulped down the disgusting liquid in one shot.

 

Myoui Pengu: Hey, are you feeling unwell?

You: Yea, I’m feeling a little… down.

 

Why am I telling her my problems? Tzuyu questioned herself and mentally slapped herself, to remind her to not do that again.

 

Myoui Pengu: Wait, I’m coming over to pick you up.

Myoui Pengu: I will take you out. 

 

Panicking, Tzuyu immediately went to her wardrobe to grab something more presentable to wear. Despite all her efforts, she still ended up with a plain black t-shirt and a pair of skinny jeans. Upon seeing the all-so-familiar matte black Audi, Tzuyu promptly ran down to see her favourite penguin.

 

“Hey, you don’t have to do this you know?” Tzuyu said as she entered the car, a slight blush starts creeping across her face.

“Where would you like to go?” Ignoring her question, Mina went straight into point.

“Amusement park! I have always wanted to go there.” Tzuyu replied brightly, unaware that she has just been ignored.

What the… Mina thought to herself, she may be an assassin, but riding thrill rides isn’t really her forte. Trying hard to hide her anxiousness, Mina wore a cold expression and replied with a plain ‘Okay’.

 

After parking her car, Mina bought tickets for the both of them to enter the park. Gulping down the lump in her throat as she enters the scream-filled park, Mina almost wanted to just turn and leave this hell. But as she was about to turn around, she saw the most innocent yet prettiest smile she has ever seen in a long time. Tzuyu was staring at everything amusingly, and the glow in her eyes was like those of the children in the hospital, innocent. How much Mina wants to protect that light.

“I want to ride that!” Tzuyu shouted at the staring Penguin, startling the latter as she points to the largest roller coaster in the entire park.

Enlarging her eyes at the sight, before Mina could even reject, she was being pulled by the taller girl into the queue.

In no time, the both of them are already seated at the first 2 seats of the roller coaster.

“Remind me again, why am I here?” Mina mutters to herself.

“What?!” Tzuyu asked as the ride begins to move.

Unable to utter a single word anymore, the ride dashes off into the sky and poor Mina is trying hard to suppress a scream of fright forming in her throat.

“Come on! Scream out loud!! Arghhh!!” Tzuyu screamed at Mina, who seems to be too stunned to do anything as tears starts to form by the edge of her enlarged eyes. 

 

As the ride comes to a halt, Tzuyu turned to Mina.

“Woah, what a ride! Can we go again?” Tzuyu beamed at her mentor who was still staring blankly in front.

“Sorry, you guys have to get off for the next riders.” The ride operator informs the both of them.

Muttering a small ‘sorry’, Tzuyu dragged Mina off the ride. Mina’s legs went jelly for a moment, causing her to fall a little before standing straight and head towards the exit. Seeing this side of Mina was amusing for Tzuyu as she laughs a little at the seemingly adorable side of her stone cold mentor.

Right after they exited the station, Mina immediately ran towards the drain behind and threw up. Tzuyu ran towards her and patted her back. Holding the weak penguin up, they went to rest at a bench nearby.

“Never knew the tough Dr. Myoui is afraid of thrill rides.” Tzuyu teased as she chuckles to herself. Earning a glare from Mina, she tried hard to contain her laughter but to no avail as she broke out into laughter once again.

“Maybe it was a mistake on my part to bring you out.” Mina threatened.

“Hey, I’m sorry, but since the sky is darkening, maybe we can catch the fireworks later.” Tzuyu tried to comfort her mentor.

 

After buying some snacks as they went up a mountain in the park, they found a quiet spot for the both of them to sit and waited for the fireworks to start.

“Thank you.” Tzuyu said smiling.

“Um.” Mina hummed in response, as she is trying to hide her flushed ears and neck. She never knew that anyone would have such an effect on her, especially not this girl.

Luck is on her side as the surroundings were too dark for Tzuyu to notice the slight change in Mina.

 

After the fireworks, Mina drove Tzuyu back. Tzuyu was sleeping soundly throughout the ride when she suddenly started frowning and broke into cold sweat. 

“No… No, don’t do that!” Tzuyu frantically said and woke up suddenly.

Mina stopped her car by the road near Tzuyu’s place and turned to the younger with concern.

“Had a bad dream?” Mina asked gently as she uses her hands to wipe off the sweat formed on Tzuyu’s forehead, then slowly proceeded to wipe the tears that were escaping her eyes.

“Don’t worry, I’m by your side.” Mina said, pulling Tzuyu into a hug, slowly stroking down the latter’s hair as an act of comfort. However, the moment didn’t last long as Tzuyu pushed Mina away and ran off into the direction of her house. Leaving a stunned penguin, sitting in her car, only realising what she has done. Slapping both her hands on her face, Mina’s face started heating up by the thought of what she has done.

 

The next few days have been really awkward for the both of them as Tzuyu has been obviously trying to hide from Mina, except for work matters.

“I wonder what I have done wrong…” Mina mutters to herself. With a shrug, Mina turns to leave.

“Everything will end tomorrow anyways. Including whatever I’ve been feeling.”


	19. Chapter 19: The Night Has Come

You guys better not mess this up, or else… 

Thinking back to what Jihyo said to the Trinity, the trio could only shudder in fear. Jihyo can be a nice and heart-warming unnie, at the same time, if looks could kill; the Trinity would have died over a thousand times.

 

“Okay kids,” Sana started over the comms, “we cannot mess this up.”

“Noted, let’s get this over and done with!” Momo said excitedly as she enters the ball room. 

Who would have expected a hospital to have such a grand ballroom, crystal chandeliers hanging above their heads, room rather dimly lit with yellow lights. Sounds of chatters around the room, accompanied by the performance of a live band on the stage.

“Target hasn’t arrived yet.” Mina half-whispered as she takes a glass of champagne from the passing waiter.

Upon their arrival, the Trinity went to their partners respectively, well, except Mina of course. They have been keeping a distance ever since that night. Everything went rather slowly as the time approaches for Chou Yi to have his speech in front of the crowd, but he is still nowhere to be seen, instead a few familiar figures appeared instead.

“Wait, is that Wendy that I’m seeing?” Momo said as she turns to Sana.

“Sh*t.” Was all Sana managed to utter her breath.

“Babe, what did you just say?” Dahyun looked over with wide eyes, utterly offended by the older girl’s choice of words.

No wonder that coward isn’t here yet.

Mina thought to herself and sent a signal to Momo as she quickened her pace off to somewhere. Taking the hint, Momo went after Mina, leaving Jeongyeon with all the food stuffed in her face. Really though, she was so engrossed with eating, she didn’t even realise that her plus 1 went away. 

“Sorry babe, I need to go to the washroom for a while.” Sana tried to excuse herself but Dahyun insisted on going with her. 

“I really have some real business to do, just wait here for me.” Sana convinced the dubu, and gave her a quick peck on the cheek before going off to the carpark, to where all her gadgets are.

 

Finally sensing movements from the Trinity, Exodus quickly informed Chou Yi and went after the girls.

“Wendy and Seulgi, go get Mina and Momo, I will go after Sana.” Irene informed as she took a chase for Sana.

 

Meanwhile at Chou Yi’s office…

After being aware of Mina’s plans, Chou Yi has been waiting in his office with his old friend, Shim Changmin. Changmin knows the deepest of Chou Yi’s darkest secrets, for he is the one who got rid of the Myouis for Chou Yi. He very well knows about how calculative Chou Yi can be, yet he’s a risk taker; you will know what it means to be a risk taker real soon…

 

“Seems like the girls are heading our way…” Changmin said with a menacing grin spreading across his face. “Haven’t you been waiting for this moment? To destroy Myoui Mina?”

Despite having planned attacks, Chou Yi can’t help but feel nervous, something inside is telling him that things will go south; but his greed is telling him to go on. Changmin carefully observe the shaking figure before him, walking up and gave him a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder.

“Relax, everything will be over soon. And you will repay me handsomely.” Changmin’s whisper could very well pass off as a threat, causing a shiver to run down Chou Yi’s spine.

 

Bang.

The door before them slams open.

Before Changmin could pull out his gun, Mina brandished her pocket knife and pulled a punch across Changmin’s face. However, Changmin’s quick reflex allowed him to dodge the punch in time, yet he sees another fist coming from below. Holding on tight onto Mina’s fist, Changmin sends a knee towards the former’s abdomen. Damn, the fight is intense as Mina skilfully blocks the kick and turns herself around to be released from the strong grip on her fist then taking a step back, ready to strike again.

“Not bad for a little girl.” Changmin challenged with a lopsided grin on his face.

“You’re not that bad yourself, ahjussi.”

There, Changmin pulled out his pistol, only to be kicked out of his hand by Mina, and she is coming straight for him in the face, again.

 

Wendy and Seulgi caught up to Momo on the hallway towards Chou Yi’s office. With rapid steps and a flip off the wall, Seulgi got in front of Momo, preventing her from reaching over to Chou Yi’s office.

“It’s Mina’s fight, not yours.” Seulgi said, before attacking Momo.

Seulgi sent a cross punch which Momo avoided effortlessly and sent a kick towards Wendy who was running towards the other two. Too bad that Wendy caught her leg and pulled Momo towards her, but Momo manage to do a split then did a windmill to recover from her position. As Wendy tried to make a move against Momo, Momo took out her gun and aimed at her attacker.

“Surprise! I didn’t come unprepared.” Momo teased, but luck wasn’t on her side when she felt the barrel of another pistol on the back of her head.  
At least her reflexes are fast as she lowers her head and attempts on giving Seulgi’s hand a turning kick, which she succeeded in kicking the pistol out of her hand. But not without Wendy giving her a kick in her back later, which Momo manage to recover rather quickly by taking a few steps forward. With the few seconds of recovery, Seulgi took the chance and punched Momo square in her face as she turns around, sending the girl straight to the ground.

Everybody is aware of how strong Seulgi is, this is no surprise that with a punch, Momo earned herself a cut lips with blood trickling from them. Carelessly wiping off the blood from her lips, Momo turned around and shot across the walkway. The bullet flew and grazed pass Seulgi’s neck, causing a small cut across the said girl’s neck.

 

“What’s with that gunshot?!” Chou Yi shouted to Changmin upon hearing a gunshot echo through the hallway. Little did he knows that Tzuyu heard the same as she heads towards her father’s office anxiously, worried about both Mina and her father.

“Chill out old man, it’s just my girls doing their job.” Changmin said calmly, anticipating Mina’s next attack.

“Finish this quick, I don’t care!” Chou Yi is starting to lose his cool as he shouted at the Exodus hitman.

Instead of waiting, Changmin decided to attack first this time. Jab, cross, round horse kick, Mina managed to block his attacks with ease until he took the chance to take out his pocketknife as he pulls off his kicks and flashes it across Mina’s face as he gives a cross punch. Although Mina was able to avoid the punch, the knife still made a small cut on her left cheek. And now, they are fighting with pocket knives; with all the annoying metallic sound echoing through the room, it made Chou Yi more and more unstable by the second.

He finally lost it when he sees the pistol Mina kicked onto the floor, and picked it up. It was then Tzuyu came through the door, only to be greeted by two people fighting and her dad, picking up a pistol. Seeing this scene unfold before her, Mina got distracted, and it was then Changmin took the opportunity and slashed Mina is her abdomen. 

Red stained the floor, as Mina falls to the ground holding on to her abdomen. Chou Yi raising the gun, carefully aiming at the fallen doctor before him, and…

 

Bang.


	20. Chapter 20: Regrets

_Thump thump_

Shocked washed over their faces, as smoke is slowly emitting from the barrel of the pistol.

 

_Thump thump_

Blood splashed across her face as she watches the body fall.

_Thump thump_

A smirk slowly creeps up Changmin’s face as he watches the devastation unfold before him. He then turns and took his leave while he can.

 

_Thud._

A deafening silence took over the world for a second as Tzuyu falls into Mina’s arms, lifelessly.

 

A hysterical scream was heard as Chou Yi could not accept whatever is happening, breaking down onto his knees and his mind clouded by rage, took Changmin by his collar as the latter was leaving, screaming curses at him; blaming Changmin for what he had done. With that, Changmin quickly knocked the crazy old man out.

Seeing the unconscious body in her arms, Mina quickly broke out of her trance and picked the girl up bridal style, running for the operation room. Ignoring the occasional sharp pain that stabs her abdomen, Mina put the girl that she’s loosing onto the operation table and shouts at the nurses on duty impatiently; too stunned by the situation to react promptly.

 

Tzuyu’s POV

 

I don’t know why, but I can’t bear to see Mina in pain, I took the shot for her and now I’m lying in her arms. I can feel my consciousness slipping away as I look to the face of the girl I have now fallen in love with. Tears stained her cheeks, and her expression is a mix of desperation and pain. I can bearly keep my eyes open; everything seems to be spinning, yet at a time like this, Mina can still make me feel like a princess in her arms.

_Don’t cry, and how I regret not telling you that I love you…_

 

Third Person’s POV

 

Mina quickly put on her surgery suit and sanitised her hands, all prepared to perform a surgery to save the girl that she is slowly falling in love with.

 

Throughout the surgery, beads of sweat form on her forehead, hands starting to shake as she attempts to remove the bullet from Tzuyu’s body, plus the increasing numbing sensation in her body aren’t helping her to concentrate. Mina tried her best to blink the sense of fatigue away as blood flows from her wound to the ground. Despite knowing the symptoms taking over her body, Mina managed to bring Tzuyu back from the brinks of death within two hours, stubbornly pushing her body to her limit just to save a girl she is meant to kill. As soon as Mina successfully removed the bullet, darkness took over her conscious as her body finally decides to give in and collapse onto the floor.

 

Thankfully, Mina only needed some stitches and blood transfusion.

 

Meanwhile, seeing Changmin has already taken his leave, Seulgi and Wendy followed after him, not without leaving a few nasty wounds on Momo, but honestly, they were rather bruised by Momo too. Sensing that Exodus is ‘done’ for the night, Momo attempted to contact Sana.

“Trying to get Irene off my ass now!” Sana half-screamed over the ear-piece, as she drives at some insane speed.

“I think they are ‘done’.” Momo assured the squirrel over the comms, attempting to calm the girl down.

“But, I bet we’re all going to get some hell from Jihyo…” Momo said as shiver runs down her spine. “And come back quickly, I think something happened to Mina and Chou Tzuyu.”

 

Mina shoots up as soon as she gains consciousness, feeling the pain rushing in from her abdomen, Mina drops back onto the hospital bed on her side.

“Easy, you’re still injured.” Sana says as she supports Mina up from her fallen position. “But I’m sure we’re in trouble with Jihyo for this.”

Mina very well know what Sana meant by that, and not only did they not complete the given task, she even strayed from the original task and went all the way to save her target. Sighing deeply, Mina got off the bed and headed for Tzuyu, the one that has been constantly on her mind all this while.

“Where are you going? You should be resting!” Sana raised her voice behind Mina, instantly feeling a headache. Being the team leader of the Trinity definitely isn’t an easy job.

Without stopping Mina, Sana turned to the heavily bruised peach, still sleeping soundly on the couch. Sighing, Sana should probably start writing her will at this rate; Jihyo might _~~most probably~~_ kill them all.

 

After asking around for Tzuyu’s ward, Mina finally arrived in front of the door. Taking in a deep breath, Mina slide the door open and headed towards the girl lying unconscious on the bed. Tzuyu looks peaceful in her sleep. Mina looked closely at the girl that made her feel feelings again, extending her hand out to remove the strands of hair covering part of Tzuyu’s face. Tears unknowingly, started to fill her eyes; conflicted by how she is feeling, “Sorry…” was all she could say to the girl who saved her life. Mina gently cupped Tzuyu’s face, afraid that she would hurt the girl further than she already had.

 

“I promise to make things _right_ , before coming back for you.” Mina whispered to the unconscious girl, before placing a soft kiss on Tzuyu’s forehead.


	21. Chapter 21: Betrayal

Mina slowly blinks the drowsiness away while wincing at the sudden pain at the back of her head. Taking a look around the surroundings, Mina realised that she woke up in an abandoned warehouse, stretching out her limbs only to discover that she is being bounded onto a chair. She struggled with the ropes around her wrist, twisting and tugging at them to no avail. The warehouse is dimly-lit, with stacks of wooden crates littered around. The air was stale and there is no sign of anyone around as Mina tries to call out to someone; anyone really.

 

 _What the heck…_ Mina thought to herself, attempting to recall how she managed to end up in such situation.

 

_Mina went back to her ward after visiting Tzuyu, quickly changing back into her clothes; the familiar scent of hers, and headed off to the carpark._

_“Mina, where are you going?” Sana asked while typing away in her laptop. “You should rest more.”_

_“Somewhere, I will be back real quick.” Mina replied, “Hopefully.” Mumbling the last word to herself._

_As she approached her beloved Audi, someone tried to assault her from behind, holding her in a head lock. Mina immediately tried to pry her attacker’s arms away and stepped hard onto her attacker’s feet, earning a groan from the latter. She knows the scent coming from the attacker. Despite the split second of hesitation, Mina made use of the chance to turn around and give the person a punch square in the face; little did she expect to take another at the back of her head with a steel pipe. The impact caused Mina to loss conscious as she falls to the ground; bleeding from the back of her head, and her sight blurring out before falling into total darkness…_

Mina hissed to herself in pain. At that moment, approaching footsteps could be heard, getting louder and louder each second. She looked up to the kidnapper. She was… someone _familiar_ , someone who was unexpected.

“Jihyo…? Why did you do this?” Mina questioned with a quizzical look, confused as to why her mentor, her _unnie_ , tried to assault her and tied her up in a warehouse, _the_ warehouse.

 

“So you figured it was me?” Jihyo _~~questioned~~_ stated indifferently, “Guess I brought you up pretty well,” she continued as she strolled behind Mina, “but not well enough!” Jihyo emphasised the last word and slammed both her hands onto Mina’s shoulders, squeezing them hard, pushing into the spot where Mina took a hit, earning herself a muffled growl from the younger.

“Haizz… What a disappointment. I thought you would do better than this.”

Mina squeezed her eyes shut at the sudden impact, clenching her jaw, hoping to keep the tears from escaping.

“Whatever happened to not falling for your target, one of my best assassins?” Jihyo questioned cynically, walking in front of Mina, grabbing another chair to sit in front of her beloved agent. She casually took out a handkerchief to wipe of the blood stains on her fingers, then proceeded to eye on Mina, her cold eyes boring into Mina’s skull.

Mina has never seen Jihyo looked at her the way she is doing now, she felt distant; she felt _interrogated_.  It was as if she had completely changed as a person…

“How long more do you need to finish up your mission?”

“Give me one more month.” Mina stated, suppressing her voice from trembling.

“Huh. My A-list assassin needs one whole month **just** to assassinate someone.”

 

_Slap._

“Say that again?” Jihyo demanded as she slapped Mina across the face, causing the latter’s lips to burst. Blood can be seen trickling down her lips.

 “One month.” Mina said, ever-so-determined, shooting her head back, looking straight into Jihyo’s eyes.

Jihyo raised her hand to land another slap across Mina’s face. Mina squeezed her eyes shut, bracing herself for the impact. However, she felt nothing. She opened her eyes, and saw Taecyeon stopping Jihyo’s hand from the back.

“Jihyo, that’s enough, I’m sure father wouldn’t want to see you like that. Especially not to your favourite kid.” Taecyeon said, eyeing Mina with pity in his eyes, before turning to look at Jihyo. “We need to talk.” And Taecyeon proceeded to pull Jihyo away with him, and signalled his guys to release Mina.

 

“One more month. I hope you and your team wouldn’t disappoint.” Taecyeon said with his back facing Mina as he holds onto Jihyo’s shoulder, escorting her out of the warehouse.

 

As soon as Mina was released, she wiped off the blood from her lips and walked back into her car, which one of Taecyeon’s guys led her to. Mina entered her car and took out some gauze from a compartment in the passenger’s seat, while she reached for the back of her head. She felt a cut and proceeded to apply pressure using the gauze before patching herself up. Then, Mina drove back to the Trinity’s apartment at such high speeds; the speed cameras wouldn’t be able to capture her car plate number. _~~(way to go Mina, no fine for you)~~_

When Mina opened the door to the apartment, she saw Momo and Sana sitting on the sofa, their faces filled with worry. When they saw Mina and her bruised lip, they went forward and helped her to the nearest chair.

“Oh my gosh, where were you? We were very worried about your disappearance!” Sana helped her onto a chair before getting a glass of water.

“…Nothing, just met some thugs when I went out for a drive.” Mina tried to cover up the incident. “Anyways, we have only one more month to finish the mission. We have to complete it as soon as possible.”

“Holy peaches, what happened to the back of your head?” Momo exclaimed, as she saw the patch on Mina’s head. “Look at you, you are in no condition to worry about the mission. Just recover here, me and Sana will take care of the mission for today.”

Mina wanted to argue, but the injury on her head suddenly throbbed, causing her to let out a small whimper. Looks like she would have to stay in her dorm for today…

However, no matter how hard she tried to stop herself, she could not stop worrying over Tzuyu’s condition. She really wanted to know whether she is recovering, and that she felt guilty for not being able to take care of her.

“I really hope she is okay…” Mina thought to herself.

 

Meanwhile…

Tzuyu suddenly woke up. She sat up, looked around and saw nothing but blue walls. Without a familiar person around her, she felt worried.

“…Where am I?” She wondered, as she felt her pockets for her phone.

She couldn’t find anything.

Tzuyu then turned to the bedside, and found her phone. She tried to reach for her phone, but winced due to a sharp pain from her ribs.

“Ouch!” She hissed, clutching her chest. She broke in cold sweat due to the pain.

Suddenly, someone knocked on the door. _~~Knock Knock~~_

“Who is that?” She asked apprehensively.

The unknown person opened the door handle and walked in. It was Chou Yi. He has a plaster on his chin and a bruise on his forehead. He went forward to seat beside his daughter, where he then poured a glass of water from a jug at the tableside and passed it to her.

“Oh my, how did you get injured so badly? Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine… I hope you are recovering quickly.” Chou Yi replied, traces of guilt detectable in his voice. “I’m… sorry. I hope you can forgive me. I was worried…”

“Yeah, about that…” Tzuyu interrupted. “I will find some way for you to repay me. As for what is going on, don’t you think you owe me an explanation?”

“Uh… About that…” Chou Yi hesitated for a moment, panicking about Tzuyu’s sudden interrogation. “Can we talk about it later? When you have recovered? Perhaps then we can…”

“No, I want to know about it NOW. You have been hiding it from me for my whole life. How long do you plan to continue to hide from me?”

“My dear daughter, this is not the place to talk about it.” Chou replied coldly, his veins bulging at his neck.

Suddenly, the atmosphere turned increasingly hostile. Tzuyu stared at her father angrily. It seemed like she could explode any moment. She couldn’t believe even her own father hid such a huge secret from her. Chou Yi balled his fists as the hospital wardroom door bursts open with a couple of guys dressed in black suits entering the room. Tzuyu recognises one of them as the one that fought with Mina.

“Changmin… What brings you here?” Chou Yi questions; suppressing the tremble in his voice. The fear in Chou Yi did not go unnoticed by Tzuyu and Changmin.

“Well…” Changmin started as he walks up to Tzuyu with a Swiss army knife in his hand. Being the protective father, Chou Yi quickly stood firm in front of Tzuyu, blocking Tzuyu from the dangerous guy in front of him. Seeing that, Changmin smirked as he reaches out for an apple by Tzuyu’s bed and started peeling the skin with the knife.

“What a beautiful daughter you have. It would be a pity if she lost her life because of her useless father, wouldn’t it?” Changmin continued with a mocking tone as he continues to cut up the apple in his hand.

“What do you want? We can talk somewhere else.” Chou Yi suggests, not wanting his beloved daughter to be caught up in the mess that he single-handedly caused.

“Oh… No, I want to say this in front of your darling. YOU, better stop being a burden in our mission, do you understand?” Changmin said, putting a piece of the apple into his mouth, chewing slowly as he eyes Chou Yi with dagger-like eyes.

Before Chou Yi could reply, Changmin shoved a piece of apple into his mouth and went closed to the former’s ears and whisper-threatened “You wouldn’t want things to go ugly; it’s prison life on the other side.”

Chou Yi stood still, stunned. Satisfied with the reaction, Changmin smirked and walked out with the rest of his guys, waving with his back turned.

“Welcome to hell~!”

 


	22. Chapter 22: Revenge is Sweet… Or Not?

_AceAid Medical allegedly laundered over a billion dollars over the past 15 years…_

_Head of AceAid Medical, Chou Yi, suspected alliance with underground gangs…_

_Fall of Myoui Pharmaceutical, Rise of AceAid Medical; coincidence or not?_

Headlines regarding AceAid Medical and Myoui Pharmaceutical are being published everywhere; every newspaper and magazine. Reports announced over large TV screens on the news, promoting to the whole nation of the released information.

 

“… said informant released to us that AceAid Medical founder, Chou Yi, is ‘not clean’…”

Quickly switching off the news on the television, Chou Yi turned around to pick up another call through his phone as he grabbed his hair in distress. There is no way these information are being leaked by Exodus, since they are also directly involved in the cases. However, judging from Changmin’s eccentric character, there’s nothing he won’t do.

 

“No, there must be a mistake somewhere… No, no, they are certainly not true. Hello? Hello?” The person on the other side cut off the line for he is not hearing the answers he wants.

“Ugh!” Chou Yi smashed the office phone onto the carpeted floor in anger; he shakes vigorously figuring that only ONE person would be capable of doing these, if it’s not Changmin.

The door suddenly swings open, rushing in a sweaty and unkempt secretary, informing Chou Yi of an official press session to answer for all the happenings. Upon the delivery of the news, Chou Yi begins to panic, he knows what _Mina_ is capable of, and the press conference is nothing, but a plan to arrest Chou Yi in front of all the media companies, to embarrass him, to take _revenge_ on him.

Landing heavily into his office chair, Chou Yi leaned back as he heard his computer ping, indicating a new email. He immediately jerked up to full attention and opened the new mail.

_Do you want me to release everything, or would you self-confess?_

 

One sentence. Just one sentence was all it takes to throw Chou Yi off the edge. He screamed, pushed everything off his table, sending him into insanity. As he throws everything around his office, he begins to hyperventilate, tears escaping his eyes as he desperately dials for Changmin. Hands shaking as he hears the other end of the line cut, _invalid number_.

Chou Yi dialled every single number he knows of Exodus, but none are valid, they have cut all ties and all communication channels with him.

Breaking down on his knees, Chou Yi knows for sure, he is screwed big time. He can no longer escape from the reality that is slowly setting in to him. He knows what he has done over the years, he never felt remorse; no pain, no regrets, till this day when it all dawns on him; the consequences of his actions. He should have known from the start, _Karma’s a bitch_.

 

 

Meanwhile…

 

Tzuyu was watching all the news in her ward. Despite knowing everything from the start, she never knew he has done _so much_ , so much so that even she couldn’t bring herself to see her father the same way, not anymore… No longer being able to handle the reality of her father, she switched off the television, and got off to see her father. As Tzuyu sits up, a sharp pain rushes through her abdomen, but she pushes herself up, wanting to talk to her father. She can no longer bear all the lies and façade her father has been putting up in front of her, acting like the good father he is, when everything is a lie. She has been living a lie, _Chou Yi’s Lie_.

 

Momo has been stationed at the opposite building, spying on Chou Yi’s movement and reporting back to Sana and Mina. As she munches on a banana, “Chou Yi’s panicking, Exodus probably cut him off.”

“Roger, I will be heading over now.” Mina replied over the comms and she readies herself with a loaded pistol and pocket knife. Mina exited a van parked at the backdoor of the hospital and immediately entered the building, with her white coat and doctor pass.

“Hmp, you better be careful this time, but I bet Exodus won’t even want to be involved in this shit anymore.” Momo reminded the younger.

“Whatever.” And Mina stepped ever-so-confidently into the hospital as she jumped over the security gantry despite having her pass and ran into the coincidentally available lift and headed straight to the highest floor, the CEO’s office.

 

Still kicking around in his office, Chou Yi laughs cynically at his circumstance; how he used to ruin people’s life, and now, get his life ruined. Loosening the tie around his neck and unbuttoning his blazer, Chou Yi drags his heavy feet with him as he heads for the stairs leading to the roof of the hospital.

As he takes heavy footsteps up the stairs, the lift door opens, but Chou Yi couldn’t care less about the arrival of that somebody.

Mina proceeds to step out of the lift door, hearing the footsteps; she went over to see where Chou Yi is headed to. She followed behind Chou Yi, with her hand on her pistol tucked behind her.

 

Chou Yi went up to the rooftop, and turned around to face Mina, fully aware that the latter has been following him from the stairs. Despite coming in face with Chou Yi’s menacing smile that she was oh-so-familiar with on a rooftop, Mina doesn’t flinch one bit, for she knows that Momo got her covered.

“Holding visual, what a bold move for Chou Yi…” Momo reported, murmuring the last bit to herself. Upon hearing that, Mina brought both hands next to her.

“Isn’t this what you wanted? Revenge?” Chou Yi said with trembling voice, lifeless eyes boring into Mina’s.

Retreating with small steps, Chou Yi is slowly heading to the edge of the building.

“Turn yourself in, at least you might be speared, a little?” Mina replied as coldly as ever, and with a small shrug as she completes her sentence.

 

Tzuyu walked as quickly as she can towards her father’s office, panting heavily as the injury just doesn’t seem to stop hurting. As she reaches her father’s office, she was greeted with the sight of a room filled with scattered paper, and broken vases. Feeling the panic within her rise, Tzuyu quickly headed towards the rooftop, like her gut feeling told her to, praying to herself that her father wouldn’t be doing any stupid things. Tzuyu pushed herself up the stairs only to be greeted by the sight that utterly shocked her.

 

“Ummm… Mina, not holding visual of Tzuyu. Wait, I think I see her in her dad’s office.” Momo reported a little too late.

“Yup, figured that much…” Mina replied with dread-fill voice as a certain someone announced her arrival on the rooftop. “She’s here behind me right?”

“Yea… Unfortunately…” Momo replied, internally blaming herself for not paying enough attention to the said girl.

 

“You are asking for me to admit my mistakes?” Chou Yi asked as though it was the greatest insult he has ever heard his entire life. Smirking to himself as he caught sight of his beloved daughter, he looked back to Mina dead in her eyes, “How about over my dead body…?” And he retreated enough to be falling off the building.

“NOOOO…!!” Tzuyu shouted from behind as she witnessed her father jumping to his death before her.

Upon seeing that Mina ran forward in the attempt to grab onto the falling man, but only managed to graze his fingers as he continues to fall to the depth of his ego; to the depths of his sins.

 

 

Seeing her failed attempt to salvage the sinned, Mina stood back up, straightening her white coat before turning to face the girl behind her. Now bent over, crying over her loss of her family; her only family. Mina walked over, placing her hand over Tzuyu’s shoulder, attempting to calm the grieving girl, only to be met with a cold shoulder _ ~~(get the pun?!)~~_. Tzuyu stood back up and sent her palm straight for Mina’s face, but the latter caught her hand before it could cause her any damage, and stared coldly at the girl before her. Getting more aggravated under Mina’s cold eyes, Tzuyu held her glare and stepped hard onto Mina’s foot, which she succeeded and kneed the latter in her gut before running back into the building.

Ignoring the pain in her abdomen, Tzuyu ran down to the ground floor, holding her arm by her face as her tears continues to flow endlessly. By the time she reached the ground floor, a crowd has already gathered by the bloodied body lying unconscious on the pavement and the emergency crew has arrived to carry the body away. Upon seeing that, Tzuyu couldn’t help but gag, knowing that the bloody body belongs to her father, the man that everyone labels a fraud, a sinner, a murderer.

 

“Oww… Mina, you okay?” Momo asked through the comms as she witnessed the happenings through her scope. Getting ready to pack up and go; their mission will complete itself following Chou Yi’s death, and the fall of the market and stock prices of AceAid Medical.

“I’ll be fine, let’s just wait till the storm is over. Sana, please come pick us up.” Mina grunted as she felt a throbbing pain in her wound, and then exited the building stealthily from the back door back into the van. Sighing to herself, Mina just slumped into her seat hugging her stomach and closed her eyes. However, the peace is short-lived for a certain loud peach boarded the van and threw her rifle onto the backseat with Mina as she climbed into the passenger seat next to Sana.

“Okay, finally, Mission Completed!” Momo announced as she mimicked some robotic sound she heard from the movies; obviously oblivious about the internal struggle their youngest is facing.

 

“Would Tzuyu report that you are the murderer? I mean she is the only one other than you at the roof…” Sana asked timidly, noticing the clenched fist at Mina’s side.

“Oh…” Momo gasps in realisation, she can’t be a legit alibi for Mina; first technically, they don’t exist, second, she’s there as a sniper assassin…

Taking a deep breath, Mina just sighed again, releasing her fist and closed her eyes as she slowly drifted off into sleep after such a tough mission; physically, mentally and emotionally tough mission…

 


	23. Chapter 23: Final

3 months have passed, and all the lawsuits regarding Chou Yi and AceAid Medical have finally been settled. It cost them a tremendous amount, but none can be compared to both Mina and Tzuyu’s losses. They have both lost their family in 1 incident. When everyone thought they could have found warmth and love in each other, Mina went on and did that.

 

This is the faithful day, Mina and Tzuyu would meet again, with the board of councils of the hospital, to decide who would get to take over the hospital.

 

“Yah, Mina-yah get up already!!” Sana boomed across the hallway and burst into Mina’s room holding onto the suit prepared by both her and Momo. They will be accompanying Mina to the hospital, who knows what could happen right?

Grunting at the sudden intrusion, Mina proceeded to cover her face with her arm, denying the fact that it’s time for her to wake up.

“Come on baby, go wash up and get dressed! I’m leaving the clothes here, Momo bought breakfast.” Sana said lovingly (not) and slapped the younger’s butt before leaving the room for Mina to get dressed.

Finally giving in to reality, Mina got out of bed and got herself prepared for the day. Well, it was unlike for the youngest to sleep in, but she was keep awake till late last night worrying about the meeting today. Taking in a deep breath, Mina pulled up the tie and walked into the common area to have breakfast with the others. Guess what? That’s right, the sight of a stuffed Momo greeted her.

“Quick, come here, I bought you western, and lots of ketchup.” Momo half-shouted with her mouth full, before tossing a bag full of packeted ketchup at Mina.

“Thanks.” Mina smiled at the girl before sitting down at the dining table to have her breakfast.

“We will be following you today, as you can see, do I look good?” Sana asked as she striked a pose at Mina. Which she succeeded in cheering the younger up, both Momo and Sana knew how nervous Mina is for today’s meet up, so they are trying their best to make the youngest feel better with their company.

Offering the clumsy girl a quick laugh, Mina replied “Yea, you look good.”

 

After finishing their breakfast, all 3 girls took their blazer to put them on before Momo grabbed the Land Rover car keys to bring out their ride for the day.

“Wait a minute, Mina baby come here.” Sana called out to Mina as she reached for Mina’s tie, giving it a final adjustment. “Alright, let’s go!”

“Why are you guys always babying her? What about me?!” Momo protested to the younger, earning a nudge from Sana’s elbow.

“Mind you, you’re older than me.” Sana replied in a reprimanding tone, and Mina giggled behind them.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk… There there.” Mina said while patting Momo like how she pets a dog.

 

It took them only half an hour drive before reaching the oh-so-familiar building. Momo dropped the other two off at the main door before proceeding to drive her Land Rover in the basement parking lot. The two Japanese walked into the building as they are being greeted by some stuff in formal suits, bowing 45 degrees at the girls.

“We have been expecting your arrival, Myoui Mina-ssi.” One of the female greeted and motioned for them to follow her down the main lobby towards to lift.

“Wait, we’re still waiting for one more person.” Mina replied with a polite smile before walking towards the sofas in the corner of the main lobby.

 

At the other end of the building, Tzuyu is being escorted by her personal assistant through the side door. Her PA informed her of the current situation of the company, as well as for her to expect a board meeting regarding the ownership of the hospital. She nodded, absorbing as much information as she can; Tzuyu hesitated for a moment upon mentioning a certain someone.

“Is she coming over today?” Tzuyu questioned, unknown to her that she just walked pass the said girl when she entered from the side door.

“I’m sure she will be, Ma’am.” The PA replied while scrolling through her iPad, to double confirm the meet up timing.

As they stepped into the lift, they were headed for the top floor. “The meeting will be in 30 minutes time.” Tzuyu’s PA confirmed with her, as Tzuyu lifts her face towards the lift door.

 

“What’s taking Momo so long?” Mina questioned as she finally looks up from the magazine that she has been occupied with for the pass 10 minutes.

Then Mina sees Momo jogging towards them. All three of them proceeded as the stuff brought them towards the conference room for the meeting.

 

Time seems to pass very quickly when both the girls are occupied with the thought off one another. It’s been some time since they last met, plus it wasn’t on a very pleasant note. Momo and Sana both know that Mina never really walked out of what she and Tzuyu shared, they see how much effect the said girl has on their maknae, but Mina refuses to admit that fact. And Tzuyu? She was indeed infuriated that Mina didn’t manage to save her father, she was angry that Mina decided to go to the extent of forcing her father into the corner. But was she really mad at Mina after what her father had done to the said girl? No.

 

Mina was sitted by the first seat around the conference table, back-facing Tzuyu when she entered the room. The room was already occupied with the board members, so Tzuyu had to sit opposite Mina, taking in sight of the person she once had feelings for. Many questions came into her mind as she looked at the girl before her; she’s slimmer than she already was, there were eye bags under eyes, they were visible even under the makeup, she looks… tired, stressed and unhappy. By the thought of these, it made Tzuyu’s heart break a little. She thought she has forgotten the girl before her; forgotten the feelings they once shared, forgotten the ever-bright gummy smile and the sound of her soft voice. Everything came rushing back once Tzuyu sees the girl before her, tears were brimming in her eyes without her knowing.

All these didn’t go unnoticed by Mina, she too, was heart-broken seeing Tzuyu, and immediately avoiding the younger’s eyes realising that Tzuyu had tears in her eyes. It took a lot of self-control for the assassin to not go over and give the broken girl a hug, kiss her tears away and tell her that everything will be alright, when nothing was.

 

“Okay, let’s begin.” announced a bespectacled old man with grey hair, dressed in a set of neat navy tux.

“Rightfully, the Myouis owns like 80% of the medical formulas in the hospital, and the doctors were all trained under them. So, I think Miss Myoui should earn her fair share in the hospital.” Said one of the shareholders; who was part of the founders of Myoui Pharmaceutical.

“But it was Chou Yi who made the hospital so established today, shouldn’t the one with better business mind take over the hospital? The Myouis can continue with their medical researches.” Said another.

Arguments of such are being thrown to and fro from people of the two perspectives for another hour when Tzuyu stood up.

 

“I think the Chous and the Myouis both have their fair share of hard work and contribution for AceAid to come so far. So, I suggest we both hold equal ownership of the hospital.” Tzuyu made a bold move by saying that. She didn’t even consult Mina whether she is willing to share the hospital, or even take part in the operation of it.

Upon hearing the suggestion, everyone looked at her stunned, including Mina. Why would someone be so innocent? How naïve of Tzuyu, thinking of sharing one property.

Mina lowered her head and let out a single chuckled, sounding as if she was mocking Tzuyu’s stupidity. Tzuyu is still as naïve as the first day she met her, still as peace loving, seemingly unaffected by the twisted world outside. Mina then stood up, levelling Tzuyu, looking into her eyes.

“You can have the hospital. I will just continue to be a shareholder.” Mina let herself smile sadly at the girl in front of her, before walking out of the conference room, motioning for both Momo and Sana to follow her.

Shocked by Mina’s words was an understatement, everyone in the room was confused. Nobody expected that Mina would give up something so huge so easily. Tzuyu immediately broke out of her thoughts and ran after Mina.

“Hey wait, can I speak to you?” Tzuyu said as she caught with Mina, grabbing her wrist to turn her around.

Both Sana and Momo looked at the taller girl with hopeful eyes, hoping that Tzuyu can finally return Mina’s soul back into her body.

“Privately.” Tzuyu continued and pulled Mina with her, only to be stopped by Mina, she is stronger than she looks.

“What’s there that can’t be addressed here? Between you and me?” Mina questions coldly, her gaze boring into Tzuyu. She looked emotionless and distanted, but Tzuyu saw what’s behind, sadness and loneliness.

 

Tzuyu didn’t say anything, instead she just dragged Mina into her office. As she closed the doors behind her, she turned to face Mina and pulled her into a bone-crashing hug.

“I’m sorry.” Tzuyu started, and the tears that threatened to fall earlier came flowing down her cheeks like they have finally found comfort, and it’s in Mina. Mina flinched at Tzuyu’s sudden outburst, and wanted to push the younger girl away, but she can’t seem to find the strength in her to do so.

They stayed in this position for a minute before Tzuyu continued, “I’m sorry for what my father did, can you please come back?”

“I’m sorry too…” Mina whispered her apology as she closes her eyes, finally taking in the warmth that she’s been missing the whole time; the warmth that she’s missing since she was five.

As Tzuyu felt Mina returning the hug, she tightened her hold on the shorter girl, afraid that she will leave her again.

They stood there for another minute before letting go.

 

“I will provide medical support for your organisation.” Tzuyu said with determined eyes.

“Hmph, I hope you don’t regret that.” Mina said and finally let out a chuckle at the innocent giant before her.

 

 

“Ma’am, Mina-ssi is in the private wardroom.” Tzuyu’s secretary came into Tzuyu’s office announcing the news.

Sighing heavily, Tzuyu picked up her stethoscope and proceeded to the said wardroom.

Upon entering the room, Tzuyu was greeted by Mina holding onto her heavily bruised right arm. _Fructured bone._

“You know you can just come and visit me like any other girlfriends and not here lying in my hospital bed right?” Tzuyu questioned Mina with a hint of anger in her voice. Tzuyu always gets angry and worried whenever Mina comes to the hospital. Tzuyu lifted Mina’s arm and helped her bandage her injured arm, earning occasional hisses from the injured penguin.

“There, all done.” Tzuyu said satisfied with her skills, and Mina replied with a giggle, laughing at the younger girl. Hearing that Tzuyu shook her head and deliberately pressed the bruise on Mina’s cheek to get the penguin to stop laughing at her.

“Stop getting injured, you hear me?” Tzuyu threatened as she crosses her arms before her chest and puffed her cheeks at the older girl.

“Alright, alright, you say that all the time.” Mina surrendered and smiled her famous gummy smile at the doctor.

“And you still get yourself hurt every time! I hate it, I hate you.” Tzuyu mocked anger at Mina.

“And I love you!” Mina said and reached out her good hand to hold onto Tzuyu’s cheeks and pressed a kiss on Tzuyu’s pouty lips.

 

 

-The End-

 


End file.
